The Madison Night Mares finished their debut season Aug. 6, with an impressive 25-17 record, thanks in part to key contributions from University of Wisconsin sophomore standouts Hilary Blomberg and Dani Lucey.
A well-known name in Wisconsin’s capital city, the Madison Mallards have been around for almost 25 years competing in a for-profit collegiate summer baseball league — the Northwoods League. In a brand new women’s softball division of the Northwoods League, the Mallards extended their own brand by debuting a whole new team this summer, The Madison Night Mares.
General Manager of the Mallards and Night Mares Samantha Rubin said the league’s addition of a softball team had been in the works for a couple years. But bringing those conversations to life this summer was unexpected yet rewarding.
“Being able to be a part of something so new and exciting and groundbreaking was really cool,” Rubin said. “Not many people get a chance to say that and to be able to do this and lead it, and it be as successful as it was, was a really great feeling.”
The Night Mares joined the four-team league, rostering collegiate players from all over the nation, including two of UW’s very own Blomberg and Lucey, who were key contributors to the team’s success.
Blomberg finished the season with a batting average of .400, 34 RBI’s and 20 runs. She frequently delivered in clutch situations and was a key offensive player, contributing significantly to her team’s scoring both by getting on base and driving in other runners.
Similarly, Lucey was particularly valuable in getting on base and scoring runs this season. She completed the season with 34 runs and played a crucial role in the team’s overall offensive success.
Having just around six months to launch the Night Mares, Rubin said they went into the season with an understanding that they were fast-tracking a team the community had no prior knowledge of.
“When it comes to naming and logos and brand identity, you want around two years to launch publicly and we literally did that in a quarter of the time,” Rubin said. “We went in knowing we were rushing but I think my expectations were absolutely met and achieved.”
With an average of 1,200 fans each game — a higher average attendance than over half of the Northwoods League teams — the Night Mares exceeded expectations from an organizational standpoint in their first year as a team, Rubin said.
Additionally, Night Mares Marketing and Operations Manager Savanna Rainey emphasized that the Night Mares fostered a vibrant, family-friendly environment in Madison this summer.
“I think we created an awesome atmosphere for family and kids to all be around and want to get behind an amazing team and an amazing group of women,” Rainey said.
Reflecting on the season, Blomberg said she learned to trust herself more behind the plate and to be more patient. Lucey found herself more confident in her abilities as a player and, like Blomberg, found herself trusting her instincts more.
With overwhelming support from both the Madison community and UW softball fans, Blomberg and Lucey described the Night Mares inaugural season as one to remember.
“I’ve seen how a lot of people have grown to respect softball,” Lucey said. “All these young girls are so excited for the next level and they show it by representing the Night Mares and Wisconsin and by of course, coming out to games.”
Bonding with fans and their teammates, Lucey and Blomberg aim to leverage their summer experiences to fuel a successful year of softball at UW.
As for the Night Mares, Rubin hopes to continue bringing awareness to the brand and to grow it even further next season.
