Softball requires a special connection between pitcher and catcher, and that’s exactly what Omaha has in twin sisters Maddia and Rylinn Groff.
From starting as toddlers to leading the Mavericks in 2026, the twins have always played the game they love together.
“I’ve said this before, but it’s probably one of my favorite experiences that I’ve ever gotten to do,” Maddia told Hurrdat Sports. “I think a lot of people can build relationships in so many different ways, but there’s something just a little bit different about pitchers and catchers, and just a little bit different about having to go through that all together. The fact that we get to collaborate on calling pitches, and when we fail we kind of fail together, or when we win, we win together. I think there’s something really special about that, and something that kind of goes deeper than really any other experience that you can share with someone.”
The Groffs began their journey playing T-ball together as two of three girls on a coed team. They eventually moved on to little league before joining a select team coached by their parents. As Maddia has developed her arm and pitching arsenal throughout her career, Rylinn has always been the one there catching for her.
“It’s awesome,” Rylinn said. “Catching her is one of my favorite things to do. I just love working with her through it, whether it’s the pitch calling, all of that, so it’s just been a super special experience for sure. The fact that we get to do this even when we’re in college now, I just feel very grateful for it. She’s just been a constant, no matter where we’ve been at, what we’re doing, we’ve been on the same team, and it’s been a super cool experience.”
With so many years of playing together under their belts, the two are always on the same page on the field and have ultimate trust in each other’s decisions. Off the field, the sisters’ connection is just as strong, if not more so.
Maddia Groff throws a pitch against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“She’s just my best friend,” Rylinn said. “We do a lot of things together and she’s just my person and the one I go to, confide in, and trust, and everything. So I think our strong relationship off the field, only helps us when we go on the field. We just feel like we’re able to rely on one another 100 percent, and just work with each other, and be honest.”
The twins attended Marian High School in Omaha where they went 105-25 and won a state championship — just the second in program history — together.
They began their collegiate careers at Southern Illinois, where they spent one season before transferring to Omaha prior to last season.
“We really wanted to play for (head coach) Mike Heard, and he is an amazing coach,” Rylinn said. “Once we were in the portal and he reached out to us, we honestly immediately knew that this is a person that we wanted to play for. We’ve known him since we were little, and the way he approaches the game, he’s so intelligent with it, and at the same time, he treats his players amazingly. We just knew that we wanted to play for him, and it’s been absolutely the best experience.”
Maddia said that the sisters have known Heard for a long time. That plus the number of former club teammates on the Mavericks’ roster helped lead them back to Omaha.
“Coach Heard and that staff, we have known for years and years,” Maddia said. “He used to coach at Marian, and then kind of moved away from that and moved to a little bit more of the club scene. We’ve just known him for years. Great family, great person, so no doubts there.”
Omaha went 40-13 in the Groffs’ first season with the Mavericks, winning a share of the Summit League regular season championship for the first time in school history while capturing its third consecutive Summit League tournament title. The Mavericks went on to win at least one NCAA Regional game for the third year in a row.
In her sophomore season with the Mavericks, Maddia served as the team’s ace in the circle, going 27-7 with 241 strikeouts and only 27 walks while sporting a 1.59 ERA. Rylinn hit .349 at the plate with 22 RBIs.
“I think, honestly, we peaked at the right time,” Maddia said. “Mike preaches this all the time, but our preseason and the offseason leading up to it, all of it is in preparation for conference, and we want to peak in May. So, I think the fact that when we were going through preseason last year, and we were going through all of these different stages of the season, we all had the end goal in mind. I think that was really helpful to where we didn’t put too much pressure on preforming at our very best in February. We had our goal set on May, and I think that is something that we had at the forefront, and communicating really plainly makes it really easy to stay focused on that.”
That success has carried over into 2026, with Omaha off to a 14-4 start. Through 46.1 innings pitched this season, Maddia has a 3.63 ERA with 56 strikeouts. Rylinn has started all 18 games, hitting .358 at the plate with two doubles and a .514 on-base percentage.
Maddia credits the team’s consistency for the early success.
Rylinn Groff throws the ball to the pitcher against the South Dakota Coyotes Saturday, Apirl 19, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Braden Cochran.
“Day in, day out, we pretty much do the same thing at every single practice, but we don’t let that get to where it’s empty reps,” Maddia said. “We make sure that we’re intentional with what we’re doing, and we’re intentional in all our bullpens, and intentional with our time. The fact that we can do the same thing at practice every day and still continue to get better every day, I think, is a testament to the discipline and culture that we’ve built here in Omaha with Mike and everything.”
Although playing for their hometown team wasn’t the reason Maddia and Rylinn chose to join the Mavericks, they are taking full advantage since returning home.
“We placed most of our emphasis on the fact that Omaha was very successful,” Maddia said. “Their softball program was very good, and that was something that me and Rylinn were really interested in, but obviously it comes with the extra layer that it’s literally in our back yard and we are 20 minutes from home and we get to kind of just hang out in our own playground. It’s very special, I think, that we get to represent Omaha and put it more on the map. I think that’s something that just hasn’t been seen before really. This is probably the most traction that Omaha softball has gotten, and that makes me really proud both for our team, but especially for Mike Heard.”
Since joining Omaha, the catcher said that she’s realized the importance of putting in the work, hoping this advice will help younger athletes that may want to play for Omaha one day.
“I would just say, if you want to do it, just put your head down, work hard and you never know what will happen,” Rylinn said. “The path doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s, but if they want to play college softball, Omaha is such a special place, and it is a very special experience to be able to represent the place that you are from. My message is always if you have an opportunity to play for Mike Heard, take it, because you’re going to grow as a person and also as a player, so it’s really just a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.”
