Alabama Softball Newcomer Q&A: Madison Preston
1/29/2018 4:21:00 PM | Softball
We will be posting Q&A's with each of the six newcomers on this year's Alabama softball team heading into the 2018 season. The sixth and final Q&A is with Madison Preston, a left-handed pitcher who was the 2017 Missouri Gatorade State Player of the Year. She earned two state titles at Centralia High School and helped lead the DeMarini Aces to a top-10 finish at USA Elite Select Nationals and PGF Premier.
How did you get your start playing softball?
"A lot of my friends played it. My Dad was looking to sign one of us up and I guess I ended up as the daughter that volunteered to do it. I ended up really loving it. I played other sports but I was always most excited for softball season. Both of my siblings played tee ball but never really liked it."
Did you always like pitching or did you play other positions?
"Since I'm left-handed, there's only so many positions I could play efficiently. I always wanted to be a pitcher anyway. I played a few other positions but pitching pretty much took over."
When did you realize you could potentially play the sport at the college level?
"When I started playing on a competitive softball team. I was about eight years old. I always wanted to go to college but I didn't know it could really happen until I was around 11 or 12. I knew people that had gone to college to play softball and I thought that if they could do it, why not me?"
When did the recruiting process start for you?
"I went to a lot of exposure tournaments around eight grade and freshman year. I was always getting looked at by smaller schools in my area but the bigger schools didn't start coming until around the summer before my sophomore year."
When did Alabama come into the picture?
"It was one of my dream schools. I knew they were a really good program but I never imagined I could really go there. I played a fall tournament my junior year on a new team I was on. There were a lot of NCAA Division-I schools there and Alabama was one of them. That's when I realized I might be able to go to a bigger school than I thought."
What were your impressions on your visit and when did you commit?
"I came on a visit that following January and ended up committing about a month later. Just because I never thought I could come to a school this good, I was a little overwhelmed. I loved it. I also had South Alabama and Arkansas in my top three at that point but Alabama's success over the years and where they are right now as a program set it apart."
How has the transition to college life away from the field been for you?
"I think it's been easier than I expected. I thought I would miss home a lot and, while I do miss my family and friends back home, I've already made so many friends here that I haven't had many times where I wished I was home instead of in Tuscaloosa."
What were your emotions stepping into the circle for your first fall game?
"I was kind of nervous, but more excited. I was finally wearing the uniform out there in the circle and I had Alabama softball players behind me. I was just excited to be out there and doing something I had always dreamed of."
How have you seen the team mesh over the year so far?
"I think when we first came here, our class became close really quickly. We've grown closer with all the other classes over the year and the seniors have done a great job of making us feel welcome. They're the leaders and they've really shown us what the program is all about."
Looking ahead to the season, what are some of your goals?
"I definitely want to go to the Women's College World Series, win an SEC title and overall just have a really good season. I want to be a contributor in the circle. We have two other pitchers that are really great but I want to help us compete against the great teams we play."
