Madie Rhoads was named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State college softball teams.

The Randolph-Macon College freshman and former Nansemond River High School softball standout had a big first year. RMC finished 40-7 this season, and she was a big part of the success the Yellow Jackets had. The 40 wins was a school record.

Rhoads ended her season with a 13-3 record, remaining undefeated through the regular season as well as earning two saves. She recorded 147 strikeouts and finished with a 0.80 ERA, spending much of the season in the top five nationally for ERA and finishing first in the nation. She was also the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s top pitcher by ERA for much of the season, which is where she finished the year.

The accolades came pouring in for the former Lady Warrior as she was named the ODAC Rookie of the Year this season. She was a second team All-ODAC selection and was also the National Fastpitch Association second team All-Region selection as well. She was one of three pitchers on the All-VaSID team.

“Coming into my freshman year, I wasn’t even expecting to get a lot of playing time,” Rhoads said. “At the beginning, I didn’t, but once I earned my spot, it really worked out in my favor. It is kind of unreal, because I didn’t expect myself to play this much. A former coach of mine has always told me to have confidence, so I always go by that motto every game.”

RMC finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament. One of the team’s biggest wins this season was against the national champions Virginia Wesleyan University. At the time of the win, VWU was undefeated, and it was Rhoads that won the pitching win that game. She struck out nine and allowed four hits as she faced 25 batters. The moment was never too big for her.

“Beating VWU was definitely a great feeling,” Rhoads said. “I don’t think of it as any different than pitching to any other team. It was exciting to be able to help as a freshman though.”

Even though she is a ways away from her sophomore season, Rhoads has already started to think about what she’d like to accomplish for next season. She wants to help her team get farther than they did this year and also match her stats this year or surpass them.

In her time at Nansemond River, she helped the Lady Warriors earn four conference championships, a regional championship, a regional runner-up and a state semi-finals appearance. Last year, she was also named the Conference Player of the Year along with second team All-State, first team All-Region and first team All-Conference.