GC pitcher follows her sister’s lead, and her number

Borrowing an older sister’s clothes is a tale as old as time. Madelyn McGinn added a twist by borrowing her older sister’s softball number.

Madelyn, a junior pitcher at Gloucester Catholic High School, was quick to grab number 19 once it became available. The number was worn on the diamond by her older sister, Emily, a 2024 graduate. 

“I think it was my grandpa’s number, so my sister took it,” Madelyn said. “I was always number 9. But when she left, I didn’t want other people to have it.”

Emily McGinn was a reliable pitcher who also batted .387 during her career at Gloucester Catholic, despite missing her entire senior year due to a torn ACL. That injured season was when Madelyn was breaking in as a freshman pitcher for the Rams. Although they didn’t technically play together because of the injury, Emily still attended all the games and helped Madelyn find her stride in the pitcher’s circle. 

“She was around every game,” Madelyn said. “She was very helpful and would come out to the [circle] and give me tips on what I was doing wrong and tell me things I needed to work on. That was a big attribute.”

It was good advice, but sometimes it was hard to swallow. “I learned a lot from her,” Madelyn said. “But I usually never wanted to hear it because she’s always right!”

Emily is now a sophomore pitcher for Stockton University while studying occupational therapy. It’s another topic Madelyn might “borrow” from her sister.

“I haven’t decided yet, but I probably want to pursue something [in the medical field],” Madelyn said. “I have wanted to be a teacher since I was little, but my sister wanted to do occupational therapy, so I started looking into it, too.”

Madelyn is doing a great job of following her sister’s footsteps on the softball field. Emily racked up 84 hits in three years in the batter’s box and contributed 120 strikeouts in 80 innings on the mound. Madelyn collected 46 hits in her first two years, and earned her 200th career strikeout early this season. 

Madelyn platoons with sophomore Shaili Monaghan, as both pitchers bring something different to the rubber. Monahan has a little more zip to her fastball, while Madelyn commands a more spin to her pitch. 

“Sometimes Shaili will start and I’ll finish, or if she’s on, she’ll just finish the whole game,” Madelyn said. “Or if I’m really on, I’ll pitch the whole game. But we’ll pick each other up. It works. Nobody is ever jealous of anyone.”

The two aces complemented each other perfectly during a 9-3 win over Schalick on April 10, when Madelyn threw four innings before Monaghan cleaned up with three scoreless frames. The victory evened Gloucester Catholic’s record at 3-3 on the season. 

“The lineup was about to see Maddie for the third time, and I just wanted to mix up the speeds. It worked,” Rams coach Mark Hutchinson said. “Neither one of them is like, ‘I’m the No. 1 [pitcher].’ No one owns the circle. I’m pretty fortunate compared to a lot of other schools. We’re going to ride that.”

Madelyn is prepared for a heavy workload if needed. Aside from being a top student academically, she played field hockey since freshman year and also participates on the Prom Committee and the Bake Club. 

“It’s hard, but I also get it done in the way I need to,” she said. “I try to get as much school work done in school as I can and ask teachers for help. I’m good with time management.”

Madelyn also has Emily just a short drive or phone call away. After all, she has her number.

“We have a really good relationship,” Madelyn said. “Now that she’s away at college, we FaceTime every night and talk about everything. She’s my best friend.”