Anderson takes talents to Truman State

WINFIELD — For five years, Winfield-Mount Union’s Madie Anderson sat down batter after batter as the Wolves’ ace. If anyone is wondering, the strikeout party didn’t slow down at the next level.

Anderson, now done with a two-year stint at Indian Hills Community College, will be dawning the colors of the Truman State Bulldogs next season, where she will transfer for her junior year.

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“I wanted a school that I would have a chance to maybe get a master's program, or maybe even a graduate position,” Anderson said. “I also wanted an awesome coach, and he has won at so many levels, and he is so competitive. I'm just really excited to play for him.”

Coach Ron Ferrill and the Bulldogs will welcome Anderson with open arms, especially given her two years at Indian Hills. Anderson finished her freshman year with a 2.45 ERA and 136 strikeouts. As a sophomore, she improved to a 1.71 ERA and struck out 131 batters.

“The softball program was awesome,” Anderson said. “I would recommend it to anyone. I love the coach. I love my girls. I loved everyone there.”

Of course, not every athlete that chooses the junior college plan ends up at a four year, as planned. Anderson say getting on the field early was a big key.

“Honestly I think that a big thing for me was I got to play right away,” Anderson said. “In the fall, when I got there my freshman year, everyone got the chance to play."

In Anderson’s two years with the school, Indian Hills went 46-10 and 47-10 respectively. The Warriors won the regional in back-to-back years, and this spring, they won the district tournament, earning Indian Hills a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series.

In the district title game, Anderson threw a complete game one-hitter to help the Warriors knock off Crowder College 4-1.

Indian Hills played four games in the NJCAA World Series, going 4-2. The eighth-place finish was the Warriors’ best finish since 2004.

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“It was pretty awesome,” Anderson said. “I come from small, Winfield, Iowa, and to go down there in Oxford (Alabama) with the best junior college players in the country was amazing. The national tournament was like the ribbon on top of my Indian Hills career.”

At Indian Hills, Anderson played alongside a handful of local athletes, including Fairfield’s Hannah Simpson, who made an early impact before getting injured. At Truman State, Anderson will rejoin former Albia prep Alex Beard, who played catcher for the Warriors during Anderson’s freshman year.

Anderson says she’s excited to team back up with Beard next year. She also says she’s just happy to be able to play for more years, which she knows not everybody gets the chance to do.

“I was just so excited to get to keep playing for two more years,” Anderson said. “I'm grateful that my body allowed me to keep playing. Some of the girls on the team didn't get that opportunity.”