West Chicago, Ill. -- Wheaton Academy senior all-state shortstop
Madison Ebeling, who has signed to play collegiately at Loyola (Ill.), has been named to the Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) Regional All-American team in the Central region. Presented by PGF and On Deck Softball, this selection recognizes Ebeling's play with her travel team, Beverly Bandits Conroy, who last summer captured the PGF Premier 18U national championship. The link to the entire team is here:
http://www.premiergirlsfastpitch.com/region_all_american_teams
"This is such a special honor for Madison," said WA head coach
Todd Starowitz. "I know this is an honor that she's really excited about receiving and is yet another validation of the player that she is and the person she's become. We're all very happy for her. The players on this team are really the elite of the elite, and Madison belongs in that group."
The Central Region is one of six regions represented on the team and includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. Ebeling was one of only 39 players selected in the Central region and she joins players headed to schools such as Alabama, Michigan, Stanford, Washington, Northwestern, and Ohio State, among other elite programs.
At Wheaton Academy this spring, Madison is hitting .562 with six doubles, three triples, and two home runs. She has also scored 17 runs. Defensively, she is widely regarded as one of the finest shortstops in Illinois.
"I've had five different umpires come to me either during or after games this year to tell me, 'Wow, your shortstop is really special.'," said Starowitz. "That tells you a lot because they are seeing girls all over the area at schools of all sizes."
Wheaton Academy returns to action Saturday when it faces Wheaton St. Francis (22-2) for an IHSA 3A regional title. The first pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT.
