Madeleine Cortez Chooses Trine University: A Perfect Blend of Academic Excellence and Softball Prowess
By FRED KRONER
Madeleine Cortez had multiple options as she narrowed down her college choices.
The Mahomet-Seymour softball player – a four-year varsity regular for the Bulldogs – had interest from schools in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
The shortstop, who has played in 105 games for M-S, looked at more than the tradition of the schools she was considering. She went beyond current accomplishments of the various programs and even looked past how she might fit in as a freshman.
A telling factor for Cortez was the “broken leg test.”
She explained, “meaning that if I couldn’t play softball, would I still want to attend the school?”
Cortez felt a resounding “yes” after visiting Division III national powerhouse Trine University, located in Angola, Ind.
Her comfort with the university wasn’t her only consideration.
“I wanted to find a school that would be a great fit academically and also had a good softball program,” Cortez said. “Trine checked all the boxes for me.”
In the past 14 years, Trine has enjoyed 12 30-win seasons, has won nine Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships and was the Division III national runner-up in 2023.
The team was ranked first in the NFPA pre-season poll this year and is currently ranked fourth with a 34-3 record.
“Coach D (20th-year head coach Donnie Danklefsen), his staff, and players have worked hard to earn the powerhouse reputation,” Cortez said. “This is one of the many reasons I was drawn to Trine.
“I can’t wait to get to campus and learn from the coaches and players.”
Opposing coaches and players in Central Illinois have learned a lot about Cortez during her varsity career. She is batting .426 as a senior and has a four-year cumulative batting average of .343.
More than one-third of her hits (41 of 109) have gone for extra bases. Ten of her hits the past three years have been home runs.
M-S coach James Heinold coached Cortez in junior high for two years and for three years with the high school team.
She made a favorable impression early-on.
“She came in as a seventh-grader wanting to play ball, wanting to excel,” Heinold said. “She worked hard, asked questions and was trying to get better.
“She was one of the best seventh-graders we had.”
Cortez has continued to improve. Her progress wasn’t always what was reflected on the statistics’ sheets.
“From her sophomore year to now, she has gained confidence in her abilities,” Heinold said, “and is able to let go of a lot of things, if they don’t go well, so she can continue to contribute.
“Earlier, she was not able to make the adjustments as easily.”
Cortez has always displayed a fierce desire.
“She is super-competitive,” Heinold said. “Every time she steps on the field, she wants to win.
“She won’t back down from any pitcher. She has the right mindset to be competitive in college softball. She is a dynamic player and no one will outwork her.”
Defensively, Cortez is as valuable to the Bulldogs as she is on the offensive front.
“She has great range and can get to a lot of grounders and pop-ups that other shortstops can’t get to,” Heinold said, “and she has an excellent arm.”
Cortez started down the softball path as a 4-year-old.
Whether she was playing locally or with travel team organizations such as the Bloomington-Normal Girls’ Softball Association (BNGSA), Illinois Force, Firecrackers or Iowa Premier, she found herself under the tutelage of supportive coaches.
“My coaches have always been so encouraging and told me that I have a real gift when it comes to playing this game,” Cortez said. “I absolutely love this sport because it lets me fully be in the moment and forget about everything else when I am between the white lines.
“It has taught me so many valuable life lessons that I’ll always cherish and carry with me.”
Shortstop was her first position and where she feels most comfortable on the field.
“I fell in love with the position and have played there ever since,” Cortez said. “I like the action and responsibility of managing the infield.
“I can work under pressure with no problem.”
Cortez’s work ethic, which Heinold describes as “great,” has been consistent throughout the years.
“The key to my development as a player has been to have a never-give-up mindset,” Cortez said. “I learned early on that what you do in practice is never enough if you want to compete at a higher level.
“I spend time on my own hitting off a tee, working on glove work, taking private lessons and watching college softball to increase my IQ of the game.
“I have also had a variety of coaches, some that are very intense, some that are more reserved and anywhere in between. They have all made an impact on who I am as a player and person today.”
Cortez immersed herself in softball more than a decade ago.
“When I was a little kid, I always dreamed of playing softball at the college level,” Cortez said. “I used to watch college softball games and go to college camps (beginning as an 11-year-old), and I could just picture myself out on the field playing with the college players.
“As I got older, though, I realized that the competition would only get stronger. As I got more involved in travel softball, I came to the reality of what it was going to take to play at the college level. The challenges were greater, the competition was stronger, and the skills required were more advanced.”
Her response was to refuse to back down.
“I committed to working harder than ever before to achieve my dream,” said Cortez, who played volleyball at M-S through her sophomore season. “Getting to where I am now, playing at the collegiate level, hasn’t been easy.
“It has taken a lot of discipline, sacrifice and determination to make it happen. But every time I faced a challenge, my love for softball only grew stronger, and it kept me pushing forward.”
She left nothing to chance as she jump-started the recruiting process when she was a sophomore.
“I attended college softball camps, created an online profile, sent emails to coaches, and played in showcase tournaments with my travel ball team,” Cortez said. “In the end, I was in communication with and visited four schools.”
During the fall of 2023, members of the coaching staff at Trine watched Cortez play at the Scenic City Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn.
“It was a ‘being at the right place, at the right time’ kind of a moment,” Cortez said. “Coach Danklefsen and his staff saw me play and invited me to come to campus and attend a winter camp.”
After the follow-up camp, they communicated by phone and Cortez said, “by the end of the call, I was offered a spot on the roster.”
She had done her homework and was confident in her answer and was ready to respond.
“To be honest, I knew within 15 minutes of being at the camp that this is the school and softball program that I wanted to be a part of,” Cortez said. “My parents and I made the trip back to Angola to show my dad the campus and to meet the coaching staff.
“At the end of the tour, my parents agreed with me that I had found my new home away from home for the next four years.”
The distance from Mahomet to Angola (located north of Fort Wayne) is approximately 275 miles.
“I’m not too worried about the transition to college, even though it’s far from home,” Cortez said. “It’ll take some getting used to, but I feel like my parents, coaches, and teachers have done a fantastic job of preparing me for what’s next.
“I didn’t want to be in the immediate area, but far enough away that I would get a better sense of what it is like to be on my own.
“Of course, I’m going to miss my family so much; my parents and my younger sister mean a lot to me. But I’m also super excited to see what opportunities the future holds.
“Plus, since I’m only four hours away. I’m sure my family – especially my mom – will be able to be in the stands as much as possible to cheer me on.”
Cortez is looking forward to the classroom work at Trine as well.
“College is going to give me the opportunity to study subjects that interest me and an opportunity to become more independent,” she said. “I also know that there will be some new challenges that I will have to navigate on my own.”
She has been accepted into the Rinker-Ross School of Health Sciences and is ready to navigate a future that she hopes will include “eventually becoming a dermatologist and having my own practice.”
As for her goals in softball at Trine, Cortez said, “I want to be a valuable team member both on and off the field as a freshman.
“My goal is to maintain a never-give-up attitude and inspire my teammates through my dedication and hard work. I aim to consistently bring my best and compete for a starting spot on the field my first year.
“When I step onto the field, I’m a passionate, disciplined and highly motivated team player who always gives it my all.”
Heinold believes Cortez’s goals are indeed possible.
“She is ready to compete at the next level,” Heinold said. “She has the right mindset.”
