East County Athlete of the Week: Maddie Lindsley

Maddie Lindsley is a junior pitcher on the Braden River High softball team. The Saint Leo commit threw a complete game, allowing one run with seven strikeouts, May 8 in the Pirates' 4-1 home regional quarterfinal win against Mitchell High. 

When did you start playing softball?

When I was 4 I started doing T-ball and I joined a travel team (Pride of the Midwest) in fifth grade, when I lived in Waukesha, Wis. My dad (Steven Lindsley) was a youth coach and helped me get into it. We moved to this area the summer before my freshman year. 

What is the appeal to you?

The feeling of winning. The rush you get from it. Just being out there on the field is great, being with the girls. I love everything about it. 

What is your best pitch?

Probably my screwball. It feels the best coming out of my hand and I get the most speed and spin from it. (Lindsley throws the pitch 58-60 mph.)

What is your favorite memory?

Recently, it is winning in regionals (against Mitchell). Everyone picked me up afterwards. That support felt good. 

What has been your biggest challenge?

My size. (Lindsley is 4-foot-11.) Being so small, a lot of people underestimate what I can bring on the field. But it is not about size. What matters is what you can do. 

What is your favorite food?

I love red apples. 

What is your favorite subject?

I like physics a lot. I like the math behind it, entering numbers into equations. That is how my brain works. 

What is your favorite movie?

"The Blindside."

What is your dream vacation?

Going to Bora Bora. I like that people stay in those little huts and the water there is so blue. It looks like a great time. 

Which superpower would you pick?

The ability to time travel. I like the past. I would go back and relive some historic moments. I would also want to know what the future is like so I could prepare myself. 

What is your biggest fear?

Not being the best at what I am doing, whether that is softball or school. 

What is the best advice you have received?

Prove people wrong when they doubt you. I love doing that. 

Finish this sentence: "Maddie Lindley is ... "

... Always driving to be the best.