Culbertson inks with William Jewell College

Nevada High School senior Madeline Culbertson, seated with coaches and family after signing a national letter-of-intent to play softball for William Jewel College. The signing ceremony took place Wednesday at the NHS Media Center. Pictured front row, left to right: Deborah Culbertson, Madeline Culbertson, and Kent Culbertson. Back row: NHS assistant softball coach Danny Penn, and NHS head coach Tammy Holcomb. (Matthew Resnick/Daily Mail)

Nevada High School two-sport athlete Madeline Culbertson will continue her softball career at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.

Culbertson, who also plays basketball at NHS, signed a national letter-of-intent Wednesday afternoon at the NHS Media Center.

For Tammy Holcomb's Lady Tigers softball team, Culbertson's played third base and middle infield where she had a .934 fielding percentage. At the plate Culbertson had a .323 career batting average with 54 RBIs and a .380 on base percentage.

"I think Madeline is the type of player that a coach truly looks for," NHS assistant softball coach Danny Penn said. "She is a vocal leader and demands a lot from her teammates, but she backs it up."

Culbertson said several factors were key in her commitment to William Jewell, including her plans to major in pre-occupational therapy and the school's close proximity to Nevada.

"William Jewell has amazing coaches who are committed to this program," she said. "The school has my anticipated major and excellent graduation rates for student-athletes ---- as well as job and internship opportunities in the Kansas City area."

Culbertson's accolades on the softball diamond include: First Team All-District her senior season, First Team All-West Central Conference her senior season, and Second Team All-District her freshman and junior seasons.

In the classroom, Culbertson has made the academic honor roll, is a member of the National Honor Society, and is a scholar athlete and Missouri girls state participant. Additionally, Culbertson carries a 3.593 grade point average.

The softball pedigree runs in the Culberston family, as her two older sisters Victoria and Olivia played softball at NHS and then moved on to play at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

Culbertson said some of her favorite softball memories came her freshman year when she was able to play with Olivia.

Culbertson plans on playing softball through July with Mac N' Seitz based out of Kansas City.

"She's never content with her performance," Penn said. "She's always looking for something she can improve upon, and then she works to turn that into a strength. She's extremely coachable and open to criticism, never afraid to ask for help.

"A lot of players have a hard time asking for help because it forces them to swallow their pride a little bit. However, Madeline's ultimate goal is to be the best teammate and player possible. Like Carsten (Warner), she has the tools necessary to succeed at William Jewell."

Culbertson's parent are Kent and Deborah.