TOWAMENCIN- The softball team remains undefeated this season and with one more conference win, they will clinch the continental conference title.  The team has an explosive offense but without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons to the Knights success has been sophomore Mady Volpe’s pitching performances in the circle.

Volpe has been dominating her competition since her middle school days, and it was known that she was special.  She had 4 no-hitters in middle school including a perfect game.  Her freshman year, she was the starting pitcher for the high school team that finished with a 20-6 record as they made a trip to the quarter-finals in state playoffs.  She threw 2 no-hitters last season including one in the state playoffs.  But this year, Volpe has been able to take her game to the next level as a sophomore.

“Freshman year really helped me know what to expect for this year and especially coming off how far we came last year in states, we went to quarter-finals, that’s really good especially for a team that was considered a younger team,” Volpe said.

According to Volpe, her command of the rise ball along with the combination of her changeup and the velocity of her fastball, has made herself different from other pitchers.  Her catcher for North Penn, junior Amanda Greaney, has had one of the best views to see what makes Volpe so effective.

“Mady proved to be very good last year, but she grew immensely because of her hard work and dedication throughout the offseason. Her drive to get stronger is seen every day at practice and games. We became closer through weightlifting together, and I’m glad we did because a strong pitcher-catcher bond is so important to succeed. She has so much more confidence on the mound because she believes in herself and knows her teammates will always be there to pick her up,” Greaney said.

Volpe’s stats speak for themselves.  She has 13 wins (all complete games) including 2 shutouts, a 1.24 ERA, and leads the state with 145 strikeouts in 85 innings of work. Earlier this year, Volpe pitched 11 innings against CB West not allowing a run and did not give up a hit until the 9^th while striking out 23 batters that game. Her artistry is in the circle with a ball and glove but she can still get the job done with a bat in her hands.  Normally batting 6^th in North Penn’s lineup, Volpe has come through with 7 RBIs and a homerun while having a .275 batting average.

“I keep pitching as a priority but hitting, it just comes along with it.  I work hard with hitting as I do with pitching but it just comes along,” Volpe said.

The scary thing for opposing team coaches and players is that she is only a sophomore.  The continental conference will stay have to face Volpe for the next two years.

“I think it’s really good for people coming up like freshman or sophomores and they think ‘Well he [Coach Rick Torresani] only plays seniors’ like you only play if you’re a senior.  No, that’s not how it is like I came in, I worked really hard, I worked all off-season.  I just wanted to prove that I’m an underclassmen and I can do the same thing an upperclassman can do,” Volpe said on her success as an underclassmen.

Her work is not done as her goals have not been met yet.  Her goal for this year is to help the Knights win a state championship while also being named first-team all-state.  Next year she also wants to commit to a college with a division one softball program.

There are always talented athletes at North Penn but every now and then there is an athlete who can help transcend a team and right now, Volpe looks like that kind of an athlete.  The Knights are serious contenders for the state title this year and it will be entertaining to see how far they go with Volpe in the circle.