Madison Cooley says she enjoys math. But she may need the help of a calculator to add up her travel miles by the end of the summer.
Now that school is out, the Paul VI High School rising junior will travel the country playing in various softball tournaments through her club team, the Lady Dukes Gold U16.
“This weekend, we’re just in New Jersey,” Cooley said. “But then we’re going to Colorado and to Atlanta, then somewhere in Massachusetts and I think Virginia. Maybe?”
You can forgive her for appearing confused with such a heavy travel schedule. But she’s spot on. The Dukes have dates in Plainville, Massachusetts; Denver; Atlanta, and Fairfax County, Virginia, all on the itinerary.
On June 21 and 22 there was a short trip over the bridge to play in the 17th Annual Carpenter Cup Tournament at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. It is named after former Philadelphia Phillies owners Bob and Ruly Carpenter, and it is a highly touted 16-team showcase for high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
For the second straight year, Cooley was chosen to play in the Olympic-Colonial team, which includes teams from the Olympic and Colonial Conferences in South Jersey. It was a reward for piecing together a strong season for the Eagles, which went 18-3 and won the Olympic National Division. Cooley threw 61 and two-thirds innings this season en route to a respectable 2.95 ERA. She struck out 64 batters despite not identifying as an overpowering hurler. She earned All-Olympic Conference First Team honors for the second straight year.
“I’m more of a movement pitcher,” Cooley said. “I don’t throw the fastest, but I have a lot of movement and I throw a drop a lot and my curve. And I can throw an off-speed in there, too.”
It’s like a chess match each time she goes into her wind-up and Cooley is well-suited as she’s an honors student with a 4.5 GPA at the midway point of her high school academic career. She’s undecided on what she’ll pursue at the next level but might lean toward something with math because, as she explained, “I was always good at it.”
Cooley is also good just about anywhere she plays on the softball field. Although a pitcher at heart, Cooley is able to fill in at first base when someone else is handling pitching duties. And she’s also a good hitter, as she batted .354 this spring, which included six doubles, a pair of triples and 20 RBIs. It all came in handy at the Carpenter Cup as Olympic Colonial had a stacked pitching staff, which allowed Cooley to play the field and stand in as a steady defensive presence at first base.
At the Carpenter Cup, Olympic-Colonial went 3-0 on the first day of competition before falling in the quarterfinal round on the second day. The experience of taking the field with players she faced all year is one that Cooley loves for many reasons.
“It’s good to get to know them more. I also get to show what I have on the field and how good I can perform,” she said.
It’s just one stop on a long summer vacation of travel.
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