A former Pella standout softball player is having a strong start to her redshirt sophomore campaign in college.

Madison Parks slugged two of her five home runs of the season in Ames earlier this week as the UNI Panthers run-ruled the Iowa State Cyclones. Parks is in her second season of competition after her 2020 campaign was halted as a freshman. This spring, Maddie’s tallied 18 runs scored, 19 runs batted in, and 9 stolen bases in 26 games.

Parks had an incredible final season for the Pella Dutch softball team — hitting .505 with 34 runs scored and 24 stolen bases, winning 11 games in the circle with a 3.28 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 160 innings, earning her a First Team All-State Selection in 2019. She has also served as an assistant coach for her former team in 2020 and 2021, before submitting her resignation for that position this past fall.