By RYAN WALKER
Bluffton’s Madyson Sonnigsen made her softball commitment final, signing with Huntington University Tuesday morning.
The senior pitcher/hitter was joined by several of her family members, friends, teammates and more to celebrate another four seasons of softball in her future. For a while, Sonnigsen wasn’t sure of her future plans post-high school, but Huntington was the right fit.
“I’m super excited,” Sonnigsen said. “For a little bit, I didn’t know if I really wanted to (play softball in college), and then I started thinking how big a part of it’s had on my life. Then I was like, ‘Well, I do really want to continue to pursue that, and Huntington was just the perfect opportunity to do that.’”
She was also joined by first-year head coach Tim Averill, who served as an associate head coach for three seasons under Erin Ehler with the Foresters. Ehler left the program earlier this year after having her first child.
Ehler and Averill’s first season with the club went 16-34 and improved to 27-27 by year three.
Sonnigsen commented that Averill’s coaching style and mannerisms reminds her of her father, Tyler Sonnigsen, who is the softball coach at Bluffton.
Sonnigsen’s first season at Bluffton in 2023, after spending the first two at Norwell, was as the No. 1 option on the mound. She appeared in 19 games for the Tigers, pitching a 6-7 record with a 4.54 earned run average, striking out 102 batters in 98.2 innings.
Her future in college is now up in the air as a two-way player with a strong full season with the bat.
Sonnigsen led the team with a .475 batting average, extra-base hits (12) and home runs (4). Her time with the bat and on the mound got her an at-large second-team all-ACAC award as a junior.
When choosing Huntington, Sonnigsen kept her faith as a top priority in her decision.
“That was a big thing for me,” Sonnigsen said. “I didn’t want to go and just throw my relationship with Christ, I want to be able to grow in that, and I really felt that at Huntington.”
Sonnigsen plans to double major in accounting and business.
ryan@news-banner.com
