131st Article at the Independent

PREP SOFTBALL: Margaret Dolan: 2022 Marshall Independent Softball Player of the Year

Chris Drummond

cdrummond@marshallindependent.com

TRACY — Margaret Dolan wasn’t really sure what to expect when she was asked to move into the circle as a starting pitcher this season for the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton softball team.

“I was told by coach [Karl] Campbell that I was going to pitch this year and my first reaction was ‘uh okay’,” Dolan said. “Coach Campbell breathed confidence in me and he would always tell me ‘you got it’. He believed in me pitching when I didn’t even believe in myself.”

The senior was able to capitalize, earning 12 victories while allowing 132 hits and 103 runs in 117 2/3 innings. She also recorded 77 strikeouts and had an earned run average (ERA) of 4.22 and a walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of 1.84. Dolan also was strong on the offensive end, leading the team in batting average (.441), hits (41) and RBIs (37) and also recorded 32 runs and 14 stolen bases.

With Dolan leading the way, TMB made it the furthest in team history in the Section 3A playoffs, defeating one of the host seeds in Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and making it to the elimination bracket finals before falling to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. Those contributions have earned Dolan the 2022 Marshall Independent Softball Player of the Year award.

Overjoyed and shocked by the announcement, Dolan humbly spoke on what it meant to her.

This was something I didn’t see in the sport of playing softball,” Dolan said. “I was thrown into the starting pitcher role and told myself I am going to give it my best. It really feels good to know that all of my hard work paid off.”

“She stepped into a big role this season because I thought pitching would be a concern for us,” Campbell added. “She helped lead our team to the deepest run in playoffs we’ve ever had, a lot of credit goes to the team and her pitching. Offensively, she put us in a position to win a lot of games.”

Campbell said a key quality that Dolan possessed is she’s a fierce competitor, someone who was a bulldog and hopes is leaving an impact made by changing the culture expectation.

Dolan also mentioned her teammates and how much fun it was to be around them to play the games with lasting memories on and off the field. She elaborated on challenges faced throughout the season as well.

“I was definitely uncomfortable to start the season pitching because all I had was two pitches,” Dolan said. “As we got to the middle of the season I added a high-rise pitch but my main focus was not to let my team down. At times I was scared in the circle. However, you learn from those moments and my teammates had confidence in me that I could do it, which gave me confidence as well.”

Dolan will be attending Moorhead State University and will be pursuing a degree in psychology. She says her days of playing Division I athletics are over but will continue playing sports through intramurals at the University.