Madilynn Boyce collects her 1,000th strikeout on Senior Day for Middletown North
Middletown – Over the last four seasons the Shore Conference has gotten a first hand look at one of the best pitchers in New Jersey. That pitcher entered her final season knowing she would reach a milestone so few achieve. Even after rain pushed back that accomplishment on Monday, Middletown North ace Madilynn Boyce reached the 1,000 strikeout milestone at home and on Senior Day.
Boyce entered the game needing six strikeouts and came out firing in front of a jam-packed home crowd. Wasting no time at all, she set down the first three batters in the first inning all on strikes. Boyce would repeat that in the second inning, ending the inning by striking out Calista Vowteras. Vowteras attempted to reach on a bunt, but fouled the first two off before finally striking out.
“When reaching the 1,000 strikeout milestone was first brought up to me, I didn’t know what to think,” Boyce said. “It’s a huge accomplishment. Being able to represent Middletown North is so big. There are so many amazing athletes and softball pitchers in the state of New Jersey, but being able to be 1 of 26 players to reach this milestone is so life-changing and means so much to me.”
Boyce is the 26th player in New Jersey to reach this milestone and the second to do so at Middletown North. Malori Bell, who is currently coaching the Keansburg softball team, reached the 1,000 strikeout milestone in 2019. Coach Chris Hoffman has had the best seat in the house to watch both these pitchers reach the milestone.
“I’m fortunate to coach who I’ve coached and where I’ve coached,” Hoffman said. “Not too many coaches get the opportunity to coach one player who’s reached 1,000 strikeouts. Coach Apice and I have had two.”
Similarly to Bell, Boyce achieved the milestone on Senior Day. Middletown North was scheduled to play Toms River East on Monday, but weather canceled the game. With Bell in the stands watching, Boyce struck out the first 12 batters and finished with 18 in the game in a typical 1-0 win for the Lions. The 18 strikeouts made it the 29th time in her career that she struck out over 15 batters. She finished the game at a total of 1,012 strikeouts for her career.
“In 2019 when Mal reached her 1,000th career strikeout I was actually at the game, sitting in the dugout with them. I was a little 6th grade girl who was looking up to someone who was amazing at what she did,” Boyce said. “I remembered looking at my mom and telling her that I wanted to be like her one day. Now being a senior in high school and hitting my 1,000 career strikeout on Senior Day just like her is a full circle moment. Looking back at 6th grade me standing on that field with her I just know she would be so proud at how far I’ve come. Mal has always been a mentor for me as a player.”
Madilynn Boyce (Left) is presented with a plaque by former Middletown North pitcher Malori Bell (right). 5/6/25 Photo by Nick Lowe
Reaching 1,000 strikeouts is remarkable by itself, but Boyce reached this milestone pitching against some of the best teams in the state. Playing in the Class A North this season, she is averaging over 13 strikeouts per 7 innings. Including Middletown North, Class A North has five teams that have been in the top ten of the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 rankings since the start of the season and two teams that have been ranked in the top five in New Jersey for the duration of the season.
“Everyone always says ‘your stats are crazy good’, and I always just laugh it off, because to me, strikeouts are a part of my job to help my team. It’s what I am in that circle and on that mound for,” Boyce said. “I am there to create outs for my team and help everyone win the game. Going into my senior year of playing softball when the division changed, it definitely made me think a little, especially about my approach as a pitcher. We’ve always played good competition my last 3 years, but this year was going to be different. We were facing the best pitchers in the state of New Jersey and some of the best teams. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I never once was afraid of that competition.”
Madilynn Boyce only allowed one hit against Point Boro in a 2-1 victory. Photo by Tom Smith
Playing these teams will help prepare Boyce for next season where she is committed to play at Seton Hall University. Besides the teams the Lions have played in the Shore Conference this season, they have played Morris Catholic, who was ranked 13th in the state, and are scheduled to play Mount St. Dominic, who is currently ranked 8th in the state.
“Going against great teams sets you up for success, especially as a pitcher and an athlete who is going to play Division 1 softball” said Boyce. “This accomplishment truly is a blessing, and I am so grateful to have been able to reach this milestone with the support of all my family, friends, teammates and coaches.”
In Boyce’s freshman season, she struck out 132 batters in 63 innings. She had double-digit strikeouts seven times, with a season-high of 16. As a sophomore she struck out 309 batters over 153.1 innings, which was 14.13 strikeouts per seven innings. The chase to 1,000 strikeouts began on opening day that season when she set a career-high of 22 strikeouts.
“When I started playing softball when I was just 4-5 years old, to me it was something fun with tons of friends. I loved playing,” Boyce said. “Growing up I always watched my Uncle play baseball and watched him pitch. As a little girl, I never truly knew what was in my future, everyone always said ‘keep going kid you’ll be great some day,’ and I never really stopped. It just became part of my routine to keep getting better and achieve goals and milestones as they came in front of me.”
Madilynn Boyce struck out 19 batters against Point Boro in a 2-1 victory. 4/3/25 Photo by Tom Smith
It takes a special athlete to be able to be able to reach a milestone like 1,000 strikeouts and to play division one softball. Not only does the athlete need to be an extraordinary athlete, but they must be just as strong mentally to reach these goals.
“Madilynn’s ability to bear down in pressure situations,” said Hoffman about her being different from other athletes. “It’s no secret that we have had trouble scoring runs the past few seasons, so her ability to stay composed within a small margin of error is what sets her apart from the rest. Madilynn is 55-4 when we score at least one run.”
Boyce has had an ERA under 1.00 in the last two seasons. Her sophomore year she had a 0.96 ERA and last year 0.93 ERA. She also struck out over 300 batters in both those seasons, leading the Shore Conference last year with 372.
