[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The key to success at any level of baseball is the possession of a solid pitching staff. More specifically, a team’s pitching staff needs to be well rounded, deep, and have guys that are able to come on in relief and shut down the opposition when their starters no longer have the stamina to deal.
At Vassar College (NY, Division III), the argument can be made that Needham resident John Madsen has been the anchor of the Brewer bullpen during each of the last two seasons. A graduate of NHS in 2014, Madsen has appeared in 13 games for Vassar this spring, throwing eight and a third innings while allowing just four hits and one earned earn. The 6’7,” 210 pound junior has also recorded five strikeouts and has been almost unhittable for righties, as the total opposition batting average against Madsen in 2017 is a mere .143.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Madsen’s performances this season has been his ability to come on with runners already on base and do his part in leaving them stranded. Out of the 24 runners that Madsen has inherited in 2017 (16 in scoring position), just five have crossed home plate. Madsen has not allowed a runner to reach home plate in any of his last six appearances dating back to April 9 (ten total runners inherited during that span). On April 14 against conference rival Union, Madsen came on in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and just one out, and was paired up against the No. 3 and No. 4 Dutchmen hitters. Madsen was able to K-up the No. 3 Union batter looking before getting the cleanup man to pop-out to second. Madsen’s efforts in relief helped lead the Brewers to a 4-3 win to go along with a weekend back-to-back double-header, four-game sweep of the Dutchmen.
Before Madsen made the journey to Poughkeepsie, he was a dominant force on the playing fields for Needham High. In basketball, Madsen was voted Most Improved Player following both his sophomore and junior seasons and was a three-time varsity letter winner. Madsen was awarded letter-winning honors once as a member of the Rocket football team and served as captain of the Needham baseball and basketball teams during his senior year (2013-2014).
Originally committed to play basketball at Vassar, Madsen appeared in 19 games off the bench for the Brewers during his freshman season in 2014-2015, during which he averaged 1.4 points per game, recorded three blocks and 11 assists throughout the season. Madsen went 11-of-14 from the floor during his 19 games, breaking the VCMB freshman record for most shots made (minimum of 14 attempts) during a season. As far as personal milestones, Madsen scored a career-high six points against Clarkson on January 24, 2015 and a grabbed career-high four rebounds three times against Hobart (1/16), Clarkson (1/24), and Rochester Polytech (2/20).
Following his freshman year, Madsen made the switch from basketball to baseball, and almost immediately became a big difference-maker out of the bullpen for Vassar. As a sophomore in 2016, Madsen posted a 0-0 record while recording one save, nine and two-thirds innings pitched, 14 hits allowed, nine strikeouts, and just one extra-base hit. The Needham High graduate also earned a spot on the Liberty League All-Academic Team. Now a junior, it is clear that Madsen is now a cornerstone piece of the Vassar pitching staff, and he has helped lead the Brewers to an overall record of 17-16 following an 11-3 run in their last 14 games.
