By Matt Daniels, The News-Gazette
mdaniels@news-gazette.com
Read on News-Gazette.com

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Maddy Adams figured she would spend this Saturday with her Illinois softball teammates in Minneapolis, getting ready for the second game of a three-game Big Ten series against Minnesota.

Instead, she's far removed from that world. Not by choice, obviously, but the coronavirus pandemic sent the Illini senior back to her hometown of Hobart, Ind., a city of roughly 29,000 people tucked into northwest Indiana.

"I've done more hiking and walks around my neighborhood than I have ever before," Adams said. "I'm bored out of my mind sometimes."

Adams' circuitous college journey that led her to Illinois was far from boring.

"It's a crazy story," Adams said with a laugh.

One that began nestled among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at Tennessee-Chattanooga. But her 2017 season with the Mocs didn't necessarily translate to much playing time. The 5-foot-8 right-hander pitched in nine games, posting a 1-3 record and a 5.53 earned run average.

"I loved the city and the college in Chattanooga," Adams said, "but it just wasn't working in ways related to softball."

So, she opted to transfer. With a catch. Adams said she couldn't get a release from her scholarship, so she had to transfer to a junior college if she wanted any scholarship money. Enter Lake Land College in Mattoon. And miles upon miles of farmland for Adams to see when she stepped out of her apartment.

"It was completely different from Chattanooga, but those people there are some of the best people I've ever met," Adams said. "I'm so thankful I got to play a year of softball there."

Adams thrived with the Lakers, playing shortstop and seeing action in 65 games. She hit .335 with 41 RBI and 13 stolen bases for a team that reached the NJCAA Division I national tournament in 2018. Former Illinois pitcher Emily Oestrich played at Lake Land in 2016 and 2017, leaving Illini coach Tyra Perry familiar of the talent the junior college in Coles County produced.

"We were looking for a middle infielder and knew that Maddy was originally a Division I prospect, but for many different reasons had gone through junior college and out of the D-I spotlight," Perry said. "She was a strong athlete with great range and great glove. We thought she could benefit us."

She did eventually. Just not on the field in 2019. Adams didn't play a single game last season after suffering ankle and back injuries leading up to her first season with the Illini.

"It was a slow journey back to playing, and we went into the season where we already had a strong starting lineup," Adams said. "I did what I could for the team, but yeah, it was a tough transition. I got out of myself, though, and helped cheer on the girls in the dugout and lift them up that way. I think that was one of the best things for me."

Illinois reached the NCAA tournament last season for the third time in Perry's first four seasons, and Adams knew she wanted to have a bigger imprint on the field in 2020. She received that opportunity this spring, playing in eight games and making four starts at shortstop.

"It's really tough going into your senior year and not having things go a certain way," Perry said. "She was a definite leader on the team. The freshmen and sophomores looked up to her quite a bit. She was a good resource for them. We were really talking as a coaching staff about how her bat had really come along and evolved. We were definitely planning on using her, and she was somebody that we could depend on."

Adams wound up with a .286 average this season and drove in the lone run of her Illinois career on March 8, one of the few bright spots during a 9-1 loss to Evansville in Louisville, Ky. Turns out it was the last game of her college career, too. Four days later, the season was canceled and Adams, one of just two seniors on this year's team, said she won't use the extra season of eligibility in 2021 she could have. The NCAA voted on March 30 to give spring sport athletes in 2020 one more season of eligibility because of the pandemic.

"I've thought a lot about it, but I've decided not to come back," said Adams, a recreation, sport and tourism major at Illinois who indicated she wants to have a future career in event planning. "I'm applying for internships right now, and financially, I don't know if I could do another year. I love the girls to death, but my time with softball is done. I hate that it ended the way it did."

Despite the abrupt conclusion to her senior season, Adams realizes she will carry lessons she learned during two years at Illinois with her well into the future. For that, she's grateful.

"My experience at Illinois showed me all of the opportunities that the school has given me and all the resources you get," Adams said. "I tried to use all my resources, and I met so many amazing people there. I hope I have those people around in my life forever."