Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Madison Ludrosky
School: Jefferson-Morgan
Year: Senior
Sport: Softball
Ludrosky’s week: The Rockets’ hard-throwing right-handed pitcher struck out 15 batters, scattered five hits and allowed just one run in a complete game, 8-1, victory over Frazier in the WPIAL Class A semifinals Wednesday, May 20.
She improved her record to 13-2 and continued to dominate opposing hitters in the playoffs. In three postseason games, Ludrosky has struck out 40 and has not issued a walk.
“My curveball was really working,” Ludrosky said. “I have an outside pitch, and that seems to work for me a lot. I seemed to throw harder that day than usual.”
The Rockets will face Chartiers-Houston today for the Class A title at California University’s Lilley Field. First pitch is 11:30 a.m.
No hop: Ludrosky did not become dominant overnight. She has been pitching since a young age and had a breakthrough season last spring, helping the Rockets to a 16-4 record and a trip to the WPIAL Class A semifinals.
Not only does she have Jefferson-Morgan (14-2) in the WPIAL title game against section rival Chartiers-Houston, but Ludrosky continues to improve.
She has a 0.87 ERA, 139 strikeouts and is averaging 10.9 strikeouts per seven innings.
“Her stats have been pretty awesome. The way we have the offense to back up the way she’s pitching and people make defensive plays, she’s awesome,” J-M head coach Tony Barbetta said. “She’s always been good, but she hasn’t realized how good she can be.”
It did not come easy. Ludrosky was called for illegal pitches last season because of a crow hop she developed. She rarely felt comfortable in the circle. Practice and repetition has alleviated the habit. The result has been frustrating opposing hitters all season.
“I just did a lot of drills. Last year, I had a small crow hop,” Ludrosky said. “I worked a lot on my feet. Once my feet came together, the pitches came together a lot more. I was struggling with that last year. That’s kind of gone this year. I really don’t have to worry about that at all.”
#TeamDugan: As the Rockets prepare to face the Bucs , Camryn Dugan and the loss of her father, Chris Dugan, who was an assistant coach for Jefferson-Morgan, are motivating factors.
Dugan passed away May 15 after a battle with cancer. Jefferson-Morgan fans donned “Team Dugan” shirts during the Rockets’ semifinal game against Frazier, where Ludrosky struck out 15 and the offense supported her with five home runs.
“We just kind of know we have something to play for, and we worked really, really hard this year,” Ludrosky said. “We are more of a team now than we were. With everything that happened with Chris Dugan, it brought us really close. Every single one of us knew we were playing for him. We seem to be a lot more motivated.”
J-M has split its two games against Chartiers-Houston this season. In the second meeting of the regular season, Ludrosky pitched a no-hitter. In the first game, April 1, Jefferson-Morgan lost, 4-2.
Since the first meeting, the Rockets have won 11 straight games, including six shutouts and they have not allowed more than two runs in any game during that span.
“She’s a great pitcher with good speed, good movement,” Chartiers-Houston head coach Tricia Alderson said of Ludrosky. “She changes speeds and she’s an experienced senior. We know she’s good and does a very nice job. She doesn’t get scored on a whole lot.”
Compiled by Lance Lysowski