CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - Former Orange Park High softball pitcher Madelyn Irwin finished out her four years at Mount Mercy University in Iowa with a pretty good career that included one perfect game.

“My best game was a sophomore year game that I was able to pitch my first and only perfect game,” said Irwin, who will finish her Criminal Justice/Psychology degree after leaving Orange Park as a hard-hurling arm under coach Lee Taylor. “Last year, we finished at 32-22, our best record, with a fourth place finish in our conference (Heart of America Athletic Conference).”

For the coronvavirus-shortened season, Irwin and her Mount Mercy Lady Mustangs finished with a flurry and a 3-2 won/lost record at a Friends Tournament in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a final 8-5 record for the season.

“Mount Mercy softball has been great there all four years and happy to be starting for varsity those years,” said Irwin, who finished her 2020 season as the fifth ranked pitcher in conference statistics with a 3-4 won/lost record and 23 strikeouts to earn a 2.48 earned runs average.

In 2017, Irwin finished as the 17th ranked pitcher in conference as a freshman with a 7-14 record with 34 games started and a 3.46 earned runs average with 78 strikeouts.

In 2018, Irwin played 27 gm3es and finished at 15-10 with a 4.16 ERA with 89 strikeoutes.

In a 9-0 win on March 24, 2018, Irwin faced 15 batters against Evangel (MO) and retired all of them in a five-inning perfect game and her eighth win of the season. Irwin struck out four in the game, walked none and forced six groundouts.

In 2019, Irwin had 22 starts in 25 games appearances and went 7-6 with a 3.12 ERA and 64 strikeouts and ranked eighth in conference pitching. Mount Mercy was fourth in conference with a 21-15 record and a final 32-22 overall record. Irwin was an All-Conference selection with four teammates.