Mac graduate Powell lighting up NAIA softball

Madelyn Powell is a senior at the College of Idaho

McMinnville High School alum Madelyn Powell has been setting the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) world of softball on fire, earning NAIA Softball Player of the Week honors on March 24.

Powell, a senior at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, led the Yotes to two wins over No. 3-ranked Eastern Oregon University. On March 20, Powell went 4-for-7 with three home runs and nine RBIs over a doubleheader sweep. She swung a two-run home run in the opener and followed with a three-run homer and grand slam in game two.

EOU was ranked No. 1 at the time, and as a left-handed bat versus a top team, Powell expected they would steer clear of her hot zone on the inside part of the plate.

“I kind of knew going into it that I needed to keep my hands tight and let the ball get deep and extend through a pitch, but I also knew that if they’re going to miss and miss inside, I’m going to take full advantage,” Powell told the News-Register. “It came down to working that in and out zone and staying away from the up and down.”

Her seven RBIs in game two on March 20 set a new program record (previously six), which Powell tied on Feb. 16 in a 3-for-4 performance at Embry-Riddle (AZ) that saw her hit a double, triple and home run.

On March 21, the Yotes dropped two games to EOU, but Powell still delivered, going 4-for-7, with two doubles, three RBIs and another home run.

On the week, she hit four home runs and two doubles, drove in 12 and scored six runs across four games. She posted a 1.571 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage without a strikeout in 15 plate appearances. She is currently third in the NAIA in RBIs, the only Cascade Collegiate Conference player ranked in the top five across all batting categories.

Outside of working to attack outside pitches and being in an environment with supportive coaches and teammates, Powell said the biggest reason for her success is her commitment to always improving.

“I’m not getting complacent in where I was at from the year before and staying hungry while realizing that I can do better for my team,” Powell said. “I can provide more and just get into work and try to show up for myself and my team every day and get better. I’ve tried to have that mindset to get better every day, and I think it’s shown up in my defense and my offense.”

This season, Powell has nine home runs and 43 RBIs while sporting a batting average of .404. She is on track to set single-season highs in nearly every offensive category and is three triples away from setting a new program record for three-baggers in a year (8).

In Powell’s freshman season, she was named first team All-CCC and won the 2023 NAIA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award for recording a .980 fielding percentage in left field with 50 chances and one error.

While a Grizzly, Powell was a first-team All-Conference outfielder, first-team All-State and an honor roll student in all four years. Off the field, she is pursuing a degree in psychology.