University of Minnesota Athletics
First Pitch with Maddie Houlihan
2/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Our final freshman to introduce you to before season is freshman utility player Maddie Houlihan out of Plymouth, Minn. Houlihan earned six varsity letters in softball playing for Benilde St. Margarets hitting over a .600 in four seasons. She holds every single hitting record in BSM softball history (career and season hits, career and season homeruns, career and season RBI, career and season runs, career and season total bases and career and season stolen bases). She was all-conference in five seasons, was named all-section six times and all-state three times.
Gopher Sports: What first caught your eye about the U of M?
Maddie Houlihan: Growing up in Minnesota, I came to Gopher games all the time. Once I started realizing that I was pretty serious about softball I started coming to games and camps and saw the atmosphere of the coaches and how they loved everything about the school and program. It was very eye opening.
GS: How has your experience been here so far, just over one semester in?
MH: It has been really good. School is a tough adjustment but the team supports you and the coaches want you to do well too. Softball has been going great and has been a lot of fun. It is a lot of work and there are a lot of days where you are exhausted but I would not want to do it with anyone else.
GS: Can you talk about your youth level softball experience?
MH: I grew up playing Wayzata softball and I started around 3rd grade. In 7th grade I went to Benilde and played varsity from 7th-12th grade and loved high school ball. I made really good friends from day one through that, and some of the girls on my summer team that I met are still some of my best friends today. My experience growing up shaped what I wanted to do eventually.
GS: What would you say about the game of softball that you love so much?
MH: Just the competitiveness and mindset that you have to have playing softball. It is really mentally tough. You can fail seven of the ten times, and that is considered doing really well. Also, it is very mentally tough in the collegiate level. I think a lot of girls here and other college athletes are really mentally tough which is good to see. You develop those skills as you transition from youth to college.
GS: Are there any other activities outside of softball that you enjoy?
MH: I really love going to my cabin, spending time with my family out on the lake and just relaxing. I think those are some of my favorite things to do in the summer. I like to binge-watch Netflix any time that I can get.
GS: What are your favorite shows?
MH: One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights and currently Scandal is my show.
GS: Do you have a favorite walkup song?
MH: No, I have not really had a walkup song before, but I told my friend sophomore year, before I came here, if I were to come here I would do "White Walls" by Macklemore. I will probably end up doing that.
GS: If you could get a hit off any celebrity, who would you pick and why?
MH: Justin Bieber, because he is Justin Bieber, and it would be fun to say I hit off Justin Bieber.
GS: What are you most looking forward to now that the season's about to start?
MH: Getting to travel with the girls. I have heard that is one of everyone else's favorite part of the year. I think that is when we will get the closest, being on the road together and just all working toward one common goal of the Big Ten championship and the World Series. I think that starts the first week when we can all travel together.
