Pitcher Stephanie Maday was named the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on May 7 for the third time since the sophomore began her career at Eastern.  

Maday has been playing softball since she was 5 years old and joined a travel team at 8 before coming to Eastern for softball camps and signing on the dotted line and pledging her allegiance to Eastern and Eastern softball coach Kim Schuette.  

Schuette is also a contributor to Maday’s success because of her ability to relate to Maday as a pitcher, Maday said.  Schuette was also a pitcher. 

Maday was first alerted about securing the title for the third time after receiving congratulation text messages from friends. 

“I was like congratulations for what, then I went on Twitter and there was an Ohio Valley Conference tweet,” Maday said. 

Getting Pitcher of the Week could not have come at better time for Maday, who said she had been in a slump the weeks prior to getting the title.  

“I hadn’t been doing so well the last couple of weeks, and last weekend felt really good,” Maday said. “It felt good to get that award.” 

But Maday said the title is not her honor alone and exemplifies the work ethic and camaraderie of the team, which attained the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship with a record of 40 wins and 12 losses. 

2011 was the first year that softball won an OVC championship.

“We have good chemistry, and we work really well together,” she said. “Last year was a really good season. It was fun and we worked really hard for what we did—we deserved to win it.”  

“As the pitcher, I am involved in pretty much every play, and I think that our team just has really good chemistry, and I love playing with all the girls. I just love everything about the game,” she said.  

But with great power comes great responsibility.  

“Coach always says the pitcher’s circle could be the happiest place in the world or the loneliest in the world,” Maday said. “When you are having a good game you want to be there, but when it’s a bad game you don’t want to be there.” 

Something Maday said is a part of every game is the superstitions and rituals that the team has to do. 

 “Coach always picks up the ball for me and wipes off the mound and then Hanna Mennenga and I do a lot of weird things that we have to do every game, or we don’t think we’ll have a good day,” she said. 

When not on the pitcher’s mound, Maday enjoys reading and is currently at Eastern to receive her bachelor’s in elementary education. 

“I just really want to teach elementary school,” Maday said. “And I took Spanish in school and loved it, and I’m sure that I could use that in the classroom, too.” 

Maday, who will be entering her junior year, said she balances her life as an athlete and student fairly easy. 

“I work really well under pressure, so I think being on the softball team and being busy everyday helps me keep everything in order,” Maday said. “It’s easier for me to work towards a deadline.”   

 Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].