Maddie Seifert, a top 50 player in the 2015 class, was at the Diamond 9 Sun Classic this past weekend, but she wasn’t in uniform. A fluke injury playing another sport knocked her out of action for a while, but kudos to her and her parents for traveling to Orlando to cheer on her St. Louis Chaos team.

In my humble opinion, Maddie typifies everything right with softball: she’s dedicated, talented, smart (is a self-admitted “math and sciences nerd”), articulate and funny.

Here’s more on this talented, tall pitcher who is headed to the Big Ten.

Name: MADDIE SEIFERT
Grad Year: 2015
Pos: pitcher
High School: Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.)
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted), 17 college hours already
Club: St. Louis Chaos                                                              
Honors: No. 36 in the 2015 Hot 100 list  
College: Penn State

***

FullCountSoftball.com: You’re not pitching this weekend because of an usual injury… tell us what happened.
Maddie Seifert: It was homecoming week about two weeks ago and I played in our school’s Powederpuff game and I was on defense. A pass was thrown by the other team and the ball was falling near me. I went to go for and another player on my team went to intercept it and we collided. I landed on my arm funny and my shoulder popped out. I got up and it went back in. I played through the end of the game before I went to the trainer, I was proud of that! I got x-rays a week after—I saw a specialist—and he said my shoulder was dislocated and there was also a little fracture which he found in the x-rays.

FCS.com: Glad that it wasn’t more serious… did you make the interception?
MS: No, but I did get an interception earlier in the game and we won 40-7!

FCS.com: So is your football career over now?
MS: I think so… I think I’m going to retire.

FCS.com: When do you expect to be pitching again?
MS: Hopefully soon. Fall ball is over after this weekend and our coach (Evan Beatty) wants us to take a break, about a month off. I’ll be pitching again in late November and will be playing basketball too. I can run with the injury and my high school basketball said he has some running drills for me since I can’t have contact yet. I’m assuming I’ll be better after this week, it’s already feeling much better.

FCS.com: How did Penn State react when you told them?
MS: They were laughing at me because of how it happened and were saying to make sure I take care of myself and to get better. If I rehab and rest, this won’t be an injury that will affect me long-term.

FCS.com: Tell us how you were first seen by the Penn State coaches, then how long until they offered?
MS: They saw me in the fall of 2013; they flew down to one of my pitching practices. My pitching coach, Russell Cooper, called and talked to them as well as Gerry Glasco when he was at Georgia. They (Georgia) were recruiting me in eighth and ninth grade and he recommended me to the Penn State coaches.

FCS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
MS: I committed last October and when I stepped onto the campus it felt right. The atmosphere was what I was looking for—the coaches, the academics and the people were just awesome there.

FCS.com: How did you tell the coaches, in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
MS: On my unofficial visit we talked about my scholarship and about a week later I called Head Coach (Amanda) Lehotak and said I wanted to be part of the Nittany Lion family.

FCS.com: Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
MS: No, it was not. I was willing to go anywhere I felt was right for me. I’m very adventurous that way.

FCS.com: Coach Beatty was saying recently you’ve increased your velocity and spin rate on your pitches and have really upped your game… what are your pitches and what’s you go-to or “out” pitch?
MS: I have a drop, rise, change-up and curve ball. My go-to pitch is a rise ball and as far as movement I personally don’t believe in throwing anything that doesn’t move. I feel movement is way important that speed.

FCS.com: What’s been a top memory or two for you in your athletic career?
MS: Last year when we made the top eight on Saturday at the ASA Gold Nationals. We have a motto on our team, “Playing for Sunday,” which is all about making it to the last day of the tournament; it’s like the elite teams are the last ones in the ballpark. It was Saturday at ASA, the last day, and no team in St. Louis Chaos had made it that far so it was awesome. We ended up getting fifth place.

Quick Hitters (short answers)

 

What do you want to major in?
I’m a math and science person and want to do something that’s analytical, something with math. I also love to interact with people, so something in business would be good too. I’m hoping the academic advisers can steer me at Penn State can help steer me in the right direction!

Fill in the blank… I’m happiest when:_________________
… I’m playing and being competitive in sports.

What do you think is the No. 1 issue in the world today?
I feel like it is ignorance. My generation doesn’t know enough about the world; it’s like we’re stuck in our bubble.

Favorite food:
Grilled chicken.

Least favorite food:
Rice.

Favorite place in the world:
Hawaii. We just went there.

What’s your dream vacation?
An Alaskan cruise.

What makes you the most happy?
Seeing myself improve and getting better.

How would your friends describe you in one word?
Easygoing.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
A water jug!

Do you have any softball superstitions or rituals?
I have a lot of them! Before the game I have to put my left sock on and then my right sock. My belt loop always has to be in the third hole and when I warm up I always have to throw one drop ball after throwing all my warm-up rise balls. During the game I have to clear off all the dirt before the inning—that’s symbolic for me, like cleaning the slate. When I’m batting I have to take three cuts on deck in a row, then at the plate I tap the outside corner and have a little half-check swing. And finally I tell myself that I’m awesome. Softball is such a negative sport so you have to find a way to keep yourself positive.

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
Probably my pitching coach. He’s a great coach and one of my No. 1 supporters. I’ve been with him since I was 10.

Team you love to hate:
I love to hate Eureka, our rival in high school. They’ve beaten us all four years of high school in districts. We just beat them in football, but I can’t look at them without wanting to punch them! (laughing)

If you could have a super power, what would you want it to be?
I’d want to be able to fly.

What’s playing in your earphones/buds right now?
Miley Cyrus… yes, I know. And Chief Keef and G Eazy.

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
Stan Musial… Stan the Man, the St. Louis Cardinals great.

What did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to play college basketball at Tennessee for Pat Summitt.

Favorite athlete:
David Eckstein.

Nickname(s):
Maddie is actually a nickname, also “Mads.”

Something on your “must do” list:
I would love to go to Europe.

Best thing about being from St. Louis:
The Cardinals.

What are you most thankful for?
My family… you hate your parents when you’re a teenage but I’m 18 now and I recognize and appreciate what they’ve done to get me to where I’m at right now.