Leadership has become a personal mission for Maddox Mendenhall as she prepares for another season with Oklahoma Bible Academy slow-pitch softball. “My biggest personal goal this season is to be a more mature leader on our team,” Mendenhall said. “I would also like to work really hard on improving my offensive skills and be more of a presence on the team.”
After a challenging year, motivation is high across the roster. “Our team has been through a lot the last year with injuries and other factors, and we are all very hungry to get back out on the field and show everyone our full potential as a team,” she said. That hunger has helped fuel a major cultural shift. “The biggest improvement I’ve seen from our team is our ability to completely change the culture of OBA softball,” Mendenhall said. “We know that we are playing for the Lord and that is more important than a patch on a letterman or a team trophy.”
Faith continues to guide everything the team does. “Our team really wants to excel on the field, but more importantly than that, our goal will always be to love God and love others,” she said. “Through the OBA softball program, each girl will see that their worth does not come from success on the softball field, but that their worth and identity come from being a daughter of the King.”
On the field, the Lady Trojans bring experience and consistency. “I would say our team’s biggest strength is our consistent offensive presence,” Mendenhall said. “We worked very hard this summer, between weights class and batting practice, and this helped us improve greatly from last year to this year.” In slow-pitch, she anchors the circle. “I talk to my dad before every game and come up with a strategy on where and how I am going to try and approach hitters.”
Mentally, Mendenhall keeps things simple. “Slow-pitch games will always be high in scoring and in hits, and I try to always have a ‘next pitch’ attitude,” she said. Her approach is rooted in a reminder she lives by: “There are only two things you can control in life: your attitude and your effort.”
When it comes to legacy, her vision is clear. “I want to be remembered as a servant leader, and as someone who always brought people in and showed them the love of Christ,” Mendenhall said. She also treasures the bond within the program. “We all genuinely love to be around each other and want what is best for each other.”
Maddox Mendenhall is a junior at Oklahoma Bible Academy who competes in fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball, basketball, and serves as a football manager. She is also Junior Class Vice President, a member of SPUD, National Honor Society, and Yearbook, and plans to attend the University of Oklahoma to pursue a degree in medicine.
