Olivia Madkins has been playing softball since she was 8 years old and knew early on that her dream was to play in college. It wasn’t until the day she got her offer letter to Columbia University, however, that she realized chasing her dreams would also mean making history. She is the first Black player since the women’s softball team was created at the university.
“On the day that I got my official offer, Coach T [Jennifer Teagues] actually let me know that I would be the first [Black player], and of course, my first reaction was like. ‘OK, you mean like the first since you’ve been coaching here?’ ” Madkins said. “But she was like no, no, the first. I was shocked, but my heart was set on the school regardless, and I just knew that that would make my opportunity here that much more special.
“I’ve always thought of softball as a means for me to do bigger things with my life. I just saw an opportunity to do good for a lot of people and really empower my community.”
Madkins, a freshman outfielder and sociology major, is 3,000 miles away from her home in Los Angeles. She always knew that Division I athletics and a rigorous education were the priorities when it came to selecting a school. So, after attending one successful recruiting camp at Columbia, her decision was a no-brainer.
“I went to a Columbia camp in the summer of 2021 and I just absolutely fell in love with the coaching staff, the environment and it was just a gut feeling of this is exactly where I want to be,” Madkins said. “After that camp, I stayed in contact with coach Jennifer Teague and sent her a bunch of videos. Sept. 1 of my junior year we set up my official visit and I committed about 18 days later. Columbia was kind of a gut feeling for me. I knew this is where I wanted to be and I don’t regret my decision at all.”
Madkins family
From Odicci Alexander’s Women’s College World Series run with James Madison in 2021 to Florida State’s Michaela Edenfield, an All-ACC catcher known for her curated gameday makeup looks, Black women are making strides in a space that used to be a stranger to box braids, gameday glam and Black girl magic.
As a freshman, Madkins has accepted the opportunity, whether calling pitches from the dugout or pinch-hitting in close games. Her goal is to pave the way for herself and the women who will come after her.
“I was really used to being the only Black player, so in a way it wasn’t something that I consciously think about all the time, just because it’s kind of an obvious thing, so you don’t spend that much mental energy on it,” Madkins said. “Just seeing over the years how the game has grown, has made me feel really confident stepping into this role. I remember watching Odicci Alexander and her incredible run [in the 2021 Women’s College World Series] with James Madison and how she carried that team on her back. Seeing Black girls compete on the biggest stage makes you superexcited and want to be a part of that.”
On March 17, after her first start of the season against a top-25 team, Madkins proved why her talent and determination are the reasons she is making history at Columbia.
After a resilient 13-pitch at-bat, a diving catch in left field, and cheering in between every pitch against Kentucky, it’s clear why the Columbia coaching staff recruited Madkins.
“It really started with us evaluating what we wanted our program to stand for,” Teagues said. “Columbia looks a lot like New York City in terms of being a melting pot and our program did not look like that, and that bothered me. Liv is just somebody that exudes positivity and a sense of team. I knew within the first few minutes of meeting her she was always going to be a great teammate. Then I got an opportunity to see her play on the field and it all backed that up. We look to players like Liv to enhance our program.”
Julee and Gerald Madkins signed the youngest of their three children up for endless activities to keep her busy. She grew up playing tennis, basketball and track. Her first experience in softball was playing T-ball with a team full of boys. While her mother traveled with her to most of her softball tournaments and commitments, it’s her father, a former guard for UCLA and an NBA shooting guard who played with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, that she resembles, whether it’s her grit on the field or her passion to pave the way for other Black athletes.
“She easily could’ve been named Geraldine,” Julee Madkins said between laughs. “She not only looks like him but she behaves like him. He had one speed and she has one speed. My sister and I were looking at clips of him and clips of her and we were like, ‘well there it is, it’s the DNA.’ ”
Madkins told her dad early on that she wanted him to be her dad and not her coach. Their relationship continued to flourish as they bonded over their love of sports.
“He just empowers me in my own identity and to be strong in who I am and to continue to be a good representation for our community, so all around a really great support system there,” Madkins said.
Her father dropped her off at school the morning she got the call from Columbia. They lifted weights in the garage together before she left for college.
“The fact that I’ve been around sports my whole life, my daughter understands that she has certain advantages that some African American girls do not and she doesn’t lean on those … but I tell her all the time, ‘you have to take advantage of what’s in front of you, it’s not your fault who your dad is,’ ” Gerald Madkins said. “You’ve been given an opportunity to do some things, can you use the opportunity you’ve been given to help others?’ And I think that’s exactly what she’s done.”
Marcus Huddleston
Madkins’ parents have shown their support in different ways. She can rely on her dad for his experience and expertise as a former pro athlete. While her white mom may not know what it feels like to be a Black athlete, she did everything possible to support her daughter.
“I always would keep all of her mentors in touch and have my mother-in-law, aunts and cousins reach out to her,” Julee Madkins said. “For me it was just putting people around her, lots of mentors and also really advocating for her with her coaches and making sure that they understood because they often didn’t, but they were really open to hearing it and having these conversations and did everything they could to protect her.”
Madkins grew up taking softball lessons from UCLA softball alumni B.B. Bates and Aleah Macon, and they reminded Madkins that if you can see her, you can be her. The representation these women offered Madkins kept her focused on her end goal.
Madkins will be joined by two African American softball commits, Kyra Mason and Alicia Marzouca, in the upcoming recruiting class.
Madkins made it a priority that the two players felt at home when they visited Columbia, the same way she felt at home back in 2021.
“I think it’s really exciting because [Liv] could not wait to be a host of one of them this past fall,” Teagues said. “You know she’s told us numerous times she just wants to make sure that they have the best experience and that she can help make our program and athletic department comfortable for them.”
As Madkins’ career progresses, her determination stays the same. After a short stint of living in New York for her father’s job with the New York Knicks, she played in a 14-and-under league for the New Jersey Intensity. She went viral in social media for an outfield catch and collapsed over a breakaway fence in the outfield. The video was shared by USA Today and thousands online.
“She’s running through walls, she’s breaking down walls and running through fences to put others that she doesn’t even know in better positions to follow her through that gate or fence,” Gerald Madkins said. “But that’s just Livi.”
