Madison Night Mares Softball Team Enjoys Successful First Season

by Aria, age 13

Madison’s new collegiate women’s softball team, the Madison Night Mares, completed their first season this summer. The team is part of the Northwoods League Softball Summer Collegiate League, which also includes teams from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Minot, North Dakota, and Mankato, Minnesota.

The Madison Mallards announced the formation of the Night Mares in a statement earlier this year. At that time, the team was referred to as “Madison Softball.” The team’s general manager, Samantha Rubin, is also the first female general manager of the Madison Mallards Baseball Club.

Through a “Name Your Team” contest, softball enthusiasts around Madison were able to pick the name of the team. The new name was shared with the public during a April event at the Orpheum Theater in Madison.

Their opening event, which was attended by about 100 people, also introduced their team mascot, a miniature horse who was later named Midnight through another crowdsourced naming contest. Midnight would attend the team’s home games at Warner Park, which was now shared as home field by both the Mallards and the Night Mares.

The Night Mares’ first season ran from June 15 through August 6. They played a total of 42 games and 21 home games led by head coach Aaron Moore, who joined the team less than a month before their first game. They kicked off the season with a home game win against the La Crosse Steam in front of an audience of 2,322 people, including the entire Mallards team.

"I started at a small little university, and the biggest crowd I had was 25 people at my games. Coming here and having 2,000-plus people is just insane,” Sydney Jones, a catcher for the team, told The Capital Times.

Jones’ sentiment aligns with why the Night Mares were formed. The team was created to provide an offseason opportunity for female collegiate athletes of all levels to play softball competitively during the summer. The members are provided with meals, transportation, a host family in some cases, and even access to internships in the area.

“We’ve had a lot of Badgers play in summer collegiate softball leagues in the last few years, flying all the way to Florida to see great competition over the summer,” said Yvette Healy, the head softball coach at UW Madison. “Bringing a collegiate softball league to Madison will open so many doors to Wisconsin softball student-athletes, allowing them to train and play in front of their friends and families.”

Marketing and operations manager of the Night Mares, Savanna Rainey, used to play softball at UW Madison, and she told The Capital Times, “I would've done literally anything I could’ve to play on this team in the summer when I was a player.” Rainey shared that the team spreads a message and feeling of female empowerment.

The Night Mares won 25 of their 42 games this season. They closed their season with a 2-0 loss to the La Crosse Steams, but head coach Moore calls the season “a big-time success.” The team placed second in the league, while the Mankato Habaneros had 30 wins and 10 losses this season.

What was more important than wins to the Night Mares during their inaugural season was building a good relationship with the Madison community and creating a team identity. According to Moore, “Our players did that, and the fans really took us in.”

When asked about the next steps for the Madison Night Mares, Samantha Rubin said, “The big picture is just continuing to grow.” Rubin shared she would like to continue including local athletes from UW Madison and Madison College, and perhaps get some returning Night Mares next year. Bringing in top D-1 players will build a truly competitive team.

Rubin says the Mallards and the Night Mares will continue to co-brand their marketing as two branches of one organization. Following their promising debut, the Madison Night Mares, Midnight the Miniature Horse, and their fans will have much to look forward to during 2025 season.

[Sources: Madison Night Mares; The Capital Times; Madison Commons; Brava Magazine; Channel 3 News]