North Penn’s Mady Volpe continues to shine under state lights
ALLENTOWN >> Mady Volpe has been North Penn’s No. 1 pitcher since the team went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to start her freshman season in 2018.
The Coastal Carolina-bound right-hander has been dominant ever since. She led the Knights to a share of the Suburban One League Continental Conference championship in 2018 and an outright title in 2019 before winning the inaugural SOL Colonial crown in 2021. She was named second team All-League as a freshman, first team as a sophomore and likely first team again as a senior.
As good as Volpe has been against her SOL opponents, she has maybe been even better competing with the top teams across the entire state of Pennsylvania.
Monday’s 7-0 win over Northampton in the first round of the PIAA-6A playoffs was Volpe’s fifth state playoff game. Volpe and the Knights are 3-2 in those games while she’s allowed eight total runs in 37 innings.
“I love pressure situations as a pitcher and a player,” Volpe said. “I feel like I really take the pressure and use it for the right things. I love it. I thrive in it, honestly.”
The senior didn’t get in much trouble against Northampton. She struck out seven batters to two walks while allowing two hits at Patriots Park in Allentown.
“I was really trying to stay ahead of batters,” Volpe said, “just work my riseball and keep my changeup working as well, just working both sides of the plate. Coach did an excellent job pitch-calling tonight.”
“She’s a D1 pitcher and today she pitched like a D1 pitcher,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said. “That’s what you’re counting on. Mady, since Day 1 as a freshman when she won the spot down in Myrtle Beach, she’s been unbelievable, just unbelievable. To me, she’s a Gatorade Player of the Year type athlete this year. I can’t say anything more than nothing bothers her. Same attitude, same look, everything. It’s unbelievable.”
The first hit was a single to left field against the first batter she faced. Catcher Sarah Sabocsik threw her out trying to steal second and Volpe struck out the next two batters to end the frame.
Both walks came in the bottom of the third inning, but a two-out grounder to third base kept Northampton off the scoreboard.
Volpe got stronger as the game went on, which she credited to running and weight-lifting in the offseason. After the second walk, she retired 11 straight batters from the end of the third inning to the middle of the seventh. She allowed a one-out single before ending the game with a strikeout and groundout to first.
As a freshman in 2018, Volpe made her state debut with a five-inning no-hitter in a 10-0 win over St. Hubert. She struck out nine batters to no walks in that game and was a dropped infield pop-up away from a perfect game.
In the quarterfinals that season, North Penn lost to Parkland, 6-3. Volpe held them down for most of the game, but a four-run fifth inning proved to be the difference.
Volpe had perhaps her most dominant state playoff game in the first round of the 2019 tournament. Then a sophomore, she threw a complete game one-hitter and allowed just seven balls to be put in play in a 9-0 win against Whitehall. She struck out 15 batters.
In the 2019 quarterfinals, she shut out Central Dauphin for 10 innings. Unfortunately for the Knights, their offense was blanked for 11 frames and they lost, 2-0. She recorded 18 strikeouts in the game.
Volpe will have another chance to display her talent in the 2021 quarterfinals Thursday when North Penn faces Penn Manor at a site and time to be determined.
