Oklahoma State University Athletics
Madi Sue And Her Dad
August 02, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball
The first week of practice is the first chance for a freshman to impress the coaches and start adjusting to college softball.
Needless to say, it's an important time in their young career.
During this time, Madi Sue Montgomery had a far more important request for Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski. Her dad was sick. She needed to go home.
Gajewski didn't hesitate; he could see the concern in her eyes.
"I went home the first week of practice," Montgomery said. "That was a big deal to me. Coach G saw that I needed to go home."
Montgomery said at first she didn't know what was going on but she knew she needed to be with him. Family means everything to her and she was going to be there for the man who was always there for her.
The Burleson, Texas, native returned to Stillwater soon enough with good news. Her dad was OK and things were good.
Going home was an easy choice for her. Anyone who knows her and her dad know the relationship they have. There was no way she wouldn't be there for him.
"I have a pretty awesome relationship with my dad that everyone realizes once they meet me," she said. "When we go places I still hold my dad's hand. I literally tell him everything. It's a relationship that people see and they say, 'that's amazing. I wish I had that with my dad.'"
Sit down and talk with Montgomery and her dad. It's easy to see their special bond.
It's easy to see she's her father's daughter.
Both are soft spoken, almost to the point people think they're not outgoing. It's not that, Montgomery said, they just don't have a lot to say.
On the field, Montgomery approaches the game with the same approach. She takes the field with a quit confidence. Some take that as a lack of confidence or simply a freshman learning to be more vocal.
It's not that.
Her words don't portray her feel and confidence for the game, her actions do.
"I get that from him," she said. "We're the same person."
Madison Nicole Montgomery gets a lot from her dad, including her "Sue."
When she was little, her dad always called her Sue. Young and still trying to figure out the world, Montgomery just assumed that was her name. It seemed like a reasonable assumption.
So when her mom came to pick her up from daycare one day, she wouldn't answer to her "Madi," calls. That wasn't her name.
"I never turned around," she said. "Then she yelled, 'Sue," and I turned around immediately. From there on in the softball world I have been Madi Sue."
Fast-forward to high school and Montgomery had a choice she had to discuss with her dad. Stay closer to her family and dad, or go where she truly wanted to go for college softball.
Monty Montgomery knew by the way she acted she wanted to be at Oklahoma State. He supported her all the way.
Stillwater is a little more than three hours from where she grew up and it has ended up being the perfect distance for her.
"I'm close enough here to where I can go away but I can still go home today if I needed to," she said.
After missing that important first week of practice, Montgomery didn't take long to catch up and find her way with Cowgirl softball.
She started all 58 games for Oklahoma State on her way to being named to the All-Big 12 Second and All-Freshman Teams. The Big 12 honored her as its Player of the Week on April 12 for her performance the previous week and she produced with a team-high 57 RBIs on the season.
All along the way her dad was there in the stands, proudly watching his daughter chase her dreams.
Monty made it to as many games as he could and followed along with the few he wasn't.
"Having him there is a feeling I can't describe," she said. "Obviously there were games he wasn't able to make it to but I called him as soon as I was done and let him know what happened."
Whether there or following from home, Monty didn't need to loudly express what he thought of her game.
He had quiet confidence in his daughter. The same quiet confidence he passed down to her from an early age.
Together, their quit confidence speaks volumes to the player she is and the people they are and their unique relationship.
"I don't know what I'd do without him, honestly," she said.
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Cowgirl SoftballCowgirl Equestrian Big 12 Champs! - Inside OSU Athletics with Larry Sanchez
Friday, April 03
Title Talk | Landon Robideau Breaks Down His NCAA Championship vs. Defending Champ Antrell Taylor
Tuesday, March 31
Title Talk | Sergio Vega Breaks Down His NCAA Championship Win vs. 2x Champ Jesse Mendez (141 lbs)
Monday, March 30
Jax Forrest called it a tad early 🗣️🏆 #wrestling
Friday, March 27
