Sometimes Madi Berry even surprises herself.
Just four games into the season, the Holy Spirit High School senior shortstop was closing in on the school record for career hits – but she didn’t realize how fast she was doing it.
“I didn’t know anything about it until I saw people with posters,” Berry said. “They were apologizing to me that [the posters] were done last-minute. I was like, ‘What posters? What are you talking about?’ They said I was going to break the record, and I’m like, ‘What record?’ I really had no idea what was going on.”
Friends, family and teammates brought Berry up to speed that she had tied Katie Calvis’ record of 106 career hits on April 7 against Cedar Creek. The next game, two days later, she surpassed Calvis in a game at Hammonton. The only problem with the achievement was that it came in a lopsided loss.
“We got beat down pretty bad when she broke the record,” Spartans coach Pat Applegate said. “But she never makes it about her. She always makes it about the team. She’s as quality as they come.”
Berry appreciated the acknowledgement of the broken record, but most of her motivation is team-driven. An Egg Harbor Township resident, Berry had the option to attend Egg Harbor Township High School, which has appeared in three state championships since 2016. She chose Holy Spirit for a Catholic education and a chance to help revive a softball program that had endured a tough stretch the decade before she arrived.
Things instantly changed upon her arrival, as the Spartans won a Cape-Atlantic League championship for the first time in 31 years in 2023. The team has continued a winning tradition throughout her four years at the school.
“I love how the program has grown,” Berry said. “I [try] really hard to do everything I can do to help.”
Before high school, she attended Saint Joseph Regional School in Somers Point.
“I went to Catholic School my whole life,” she said. “I always loved the thought of getting a Catholic education at Holy Spirit. I really love it here. I know I always have God with me, and it keeps me centered in the moment.”
This year, Berry is batting .548 with 24 RBIs and a pair of home runs that came in a game against Cape May Tech on April 11. More importantly, she has become a prime example of strength for her younger teammates.
“It’s her composure,” said Applegate, who is in his first year coaching the team. “You don’t know if we’re up 10 runs or down 10 runs and whether she’s 3-for-3 with two home runs, or if she’s having an off day. You can’t tell. She never lets it show, and it’s great that the other girls see [that].”
Her composure will certainly give Berry an edge as she begins her pursuit of a career in nursing next year at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, where she will play Division 2 softball.
Berry enjoys pressure, and her future profession is no exception.
“Blood has never bothered me,” she said with a smile. “I just want to be able to help people. I plan to be a trauma nurse. Someone’s got to do it. It can be tough … but I want to be in a high-pressure situation.”
Berry also played field hockey all four years at Holy Spirit and is a member of the yearbook club, Spartan Ambassadors, Spirit Outreach and National Honors Society.
“I work really hard for all of my success,” Berry said. “My parents are a great help. I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I work really hard to be the best that I can be.”
No surprises there.
“She’s always been an incredible kid – the kind … that any coach would just jump at the chance to coach,” Applegate said.
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