Suburban Life Athlete of the Week: Maddie Pool, Wheaton Warrenville South, softball, senior

Name: Maddie Pool

School: Wheaton Warrenville South, senior

Sport: Softball

Why she was selected: Pool struck out nine and hit a two-run homer in a 6-1 win over St. Charles East and no-hit Plainfield South with 14 strikeouts.

She was voted the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

The no-hitter you had last week, what do you recall was working for you that game? Have you ever thrown any other no-hitters? What’s the feeling like to finish one of those games?

Pool: I was locating pitches really well and my rise ball and drop ball were working. I threw one other high school no-hitter against a nonconference team last year. Throwing a no-hitter is always a goal for pitchers and to accomplish it is a real confidence booster. For me, I know that I can trust my defense to always have my back when I’m on the mound.

How has the season gone otherwise?

Pool: This season, our team had a great start and then we had a run of tough losses that really could have gone either way. Now we are in the midst of DuKane Conference play where each game is a battle against talented teams. This will only make us stronger during the postseason.

Who would you say is your funniest teammate?

Pool: Our coaches call me, Brooke Struebing, Ally Michalowski and Abby Mease “Giggles” because we are constantly cracking each other up, especially on bus rides and during downtime.

Is there something about you that a lot of people outside your closest friends may not know?

Pool: Fun fact, I love to play pickleball and I work at Sure Shot. I’m also bilingual in Spanish and I love listening to Pitbull before games.

If you could give the freshman you a piece of advice, what would it be?

Pool: I would tell my freshman self to be confident and to not put so much pressure on myself to be perfect because high school goes by so fast. Also, don’t worry about where you start because it’s where you finish that matters.

What do you plan to study in college?

Pool: I plan to study Spanish and secondary education.