It was an eventful day for Mingus Marauders softball player Maddie Bejarano as the senior officially signed with the University of Central Florida on a scholarship.
“I think I fit in really well with UCF, because they matched everything I wanted in a school,” Bejarano said. “Coach Ball does a phenomenal job of pushing the players every day and that is exactly what I want as a player.”
Ball’s work ethic and desire to win is a big reason why Maddie picked UCF over Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, Syracuse and multiple other Division I schools.
“I was looking at a few other schools but UCF was always my No. 1 option,” Bejarano said.
Bejarano picked UCF during her freshman year after batting .674 with 26 RBIs, 19 doubles and three home runs.
Bejarano earned All-State recognition her sophomore year and set school records in batting average, hits, extra base hits, doubles, triples and stolen bases.
During her sophomore campaign, Bejarano won Region Offensive Player of the Year after batting .626 with 39 RBIs and seven home runs.
For Bejarano’s parents, Matt and Mindy, it was important that Maddie chose a school with a great academic program as well as softball.
“For a lot of women’s sports, it is more about the education, so we stressed finding a good education along with the softball program,” Mindy said. “We know they spend a lot of time with the team making sure they share the same mindset both on the field and off it.”
“We both took her to visit UCF separately and we knew it was over the first time she stepped foot on campus,” Mindy said. “She just blended right in with the team and you could tell from her smile.”
Bejarano’s favorite part of UCF’s campus was Athletics Village, a $30 million project for UCF’s athletic facilities.
Athletics Village provides housing for UCF athletes as well as a nutrition center, recover cove and lazy river located near the UCF stadiums.
Bejarano’s parents were proud of her hard work paying off, as she travels to Tucson several times a week to train with her club team, the Arizona Suncats.
“She sacrificed a lot to get to where she is today so it was great to see all the hours she spent pay off,” Matt Bejarano said. “It was great to see her accomplish what she set out to do.”
At just 8 years old, Bejarano knew what goals she had in mind to accomplish.
“She started here in the Verde Valley Little League and told us then that she wanted to play Division I softball,” Matt Bejarano said. “Neither of her parents played, we were just there to support her and we saw her dedication to the game from a young age.”
Bejarano gets to join her cousin, Hayley Bejarano, who is currently a junior at UCF.
“It will be amazing experience, we had played together prior to UCF for three years so I am excited we can play together again,” Maddie said.
Last year, Central Florida finished the season at 34-22.
