April 14, 2011

Story courtesy of UVa-Wise Sports Information

WISE, Va. --  As the 2011 softball season comes to a close, it is time to reflect upon the accomplishments of UVa-Wise's Maddi Ridenour.  The senior from Suffolk, Va., came to the campus in the fall of 2007 after a stellar prep career.  At Nansemond River High School, Ridenour earned All-South Eastern District and All-Region First-Team accolades and was selected to the All-Tidewater second team.  Needless to say, expectations for the left handed slap hitter were high as she began her collegiate career.  Not intimidated by expectations, Ridenour's individual and team accomplishments during her four years as a Cavalier rank her as one of the greatest athletes to play at the college, and possibly the best softball player in the history of the program. 

In her freshman season of 2008, Ridenour posted a .433 batting average, 68 hits, stole 36 bases and got on base at a .497 clip.  Each of those marks were single season UVa-Wise records at that time. Ridenour has since broken her own single season stolen base record.  The strong freshman campaign landed the leadoff hitter several pieces of hardware.  That season, Ridenour became the program's first and only NAIA All-American when she garnered a spot on the second team list.  She also earned All-Appalachian Athletic Conference and All-Region XII status in 2008.  

A year later, Ridenour kept hitting and kept running her way into the record books.  The 2009 season saw Ridenour increase her stolen bases to 52, while collecting hits in 37 of the 49 games the Cavs played in that season.  On April 1, 2009, Ridenour accomplished a feat that may not soon be matched when she stole five bases against Tennessee Wesleyan en route to a 5-2 Cavalier victory.  Ridenour's team improved as well as the Cavs won the AAC Tournament to advance to the NAIA National Tournament.  In aiding the Cavs to the national tournament, Ridenour scored two runs, stole a base and drove in a run as UVa-Wise defeated Union College 10-0 to capture the AAC Tournament crown. 

The numbers continued to mount as Ridenour progressed to an upperclassmen.  As a junior, she lined over 50 hits for the third consecutive season, while again leading the team in batting average and stolen bases.  Once again, Ridenour earned all conference accolades for her efforts; the award was her third consecutive first team selection.  This season, Ridenour is creeping closer to some historic numbers.  As of April 13, the senior stands just two hits shy of assistant coach Shelley Newton's all time hits record.

Newton currently holds the school's all time hits record with 226, but Ridenour has posted impressive single season numbers to inch within striking distance of the record.  Entering her final season, Ridenour has averaged 59 hits per season.  To put it into perspective, outside of Newton and Ridenour only two Cavaliers have ever collected 59 hits in one season.  The center fielder also has an opportunity to break the school's all time runs scored record.

Currently, Ridenour has scored 144 runs to stand just 13 runs behind the 157 runs scored in the career of current UVa-Wise Volleyball Coach Kendall Rainey.  She also has posted staggering batting average numbers over her career. At this point in her final season, Ridenour is a .380 hitter an average that is nearly 20 points higher than any other player in UVa-Wise history.  Ridenour's strong batting average has been helped by her strong eye at the plate as she has walked 66 times in her career, also a school record.

With a great career coming to a close, Ridenour is already one of the most prolific players in UVa-Wise history.  The Suffolk, Va., native can put an emphatic stamp on her playing days over the course of the final month of her career.  Ridenour has an opportunity to go down as the school's only four time all conference selection and All-American while holding career records in batting average, hits, runs scored, on base percentage, walks, and stolen bases.  The talented Ridenour will graduate from UVa-Wise in May with a degree in health and physical education.  Upon graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in kinesiology.