The essence of Buford catcher Madison Pickens’ fastpitch softball season — and perhaps her career — basically came down to her last high school at-bat.

The Wolves had a substantial lead over East Coweta in Columbus and were well on their way to their second consecutive Class AAAAAAA state championship when Pickens took her final trip to the plate in the seventh inning. What might have not been widely known at the time was she had gone through the entire season — 32 games, 92 plate appearances — without striking out a single time.

“In Columbus, her last at-bat was at least an eight-, nine- or 10-pitch at-bat,” said Buford coach Trent Adams. “And then she hit a home run. Going down to Columbus, I was told she had not struck out one time.”

“I knew we were going to win, because we had all the momentum when I went up there,” said Pickens. “Izzy (Rettiger) got on base before me and I realized this was going to be my last at-bat.

“I wasn’t trying to do anything special, but when I fell behind 0-2, I said to myself ‘I am not going down looking. I’m not striking out now.’ So I just started fouling every pitch off. I got so worked up because I didn’t want to strike out, and it all worked out.

“It was kind of the season in one at-bat. It was my best season and I felt it was a great at-bat I had to work through it, but it all worked out fine in the end.”

It was perhaps even more appropriate that immediately after Pickens’ home run, her twin sister Mackenzie brought the season to a happy close with a home run that invoked the mercy rule and gave the Wolves the game and the 12th state softball championship in school history.

“It was special that Mac was able to come behind me and walk it off since it was our last time on the field together,” said Pickens. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”

A four-year starter, Pickens, who this season hit .609 (56-for-92) with 20 home runs, 52 RBIs, 52 runs and had a school-record on-base percentage of .660 and a slugging percentage of 1.402, is Gwinnett County’s Softball Player of the Year.

“I did a lot better because I was positive and I felt the team was closer than it’s ever been,” she said of her senior season. “Everybody had each other’s backs. Everybody was in it for each other, especially when we got to state. We were playing loose and for each other and we weren’t listening to everybody because of the hype of last season and I felt I played loose and had fun and that allowed me to play so well.”

Buford finished the season with an unblemished 32-0 record, and Adams, in his second season as head coach, attributed much of the team’s success to chemistry, noting Pickens’ leadership was a key factor in the Wolves’ harmony.

“The locker room was great all year, the dugout was good,” he said. “The chemistry was awesome on the team and was good all year for us. Madison is a senior and a leader and is involved in every play behind the plate and she did a good job with our pitchers. She led in the dugout, as well as the locker room.”

Pickens was Buford’s leadoff hitter — a bit of an anomaly for a catcher — and recorded 18 stolen bases for the season, another statistic rarely accorded to catchers.

“Her power numbers from the leadoff spot were unheard of and she can run, too,” said Adams. “She had 18 stolen bases. You just don’t see that from a catcher that often. Usually, you’re running for the catcher, but I never ran for Madison because she was one of the better baserunners I’ve coached.”

Mackenzie Pickens holds the school record for home runs in a career, and Madison Pickens showed a lot more pop in her bat this season than in previous campaigns.

“Last year, I could tell Madison was starting to see the ball better,” said Adams. “This year, she changed her bat angle and changed her swing — she tweaked it a little bit. Bat angle made all the difference in the world. Also, Madison and Mackenzie really get after it in the weight room. They put in a lot of extra work away from the field, too, as far as their strength and conditioning training.”

“We are players that always leave it all on the field,” Madison Pickens said.

The senior will now be moving to the college ranks after signing in November with Louisville, who last spring went 36-20 overall, 16-7 in the ACC and advanced to the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

“Louisville is getting a steal with Madison Pickens because of how she receives the ball and because of her arm strength,” said Adams. “She gets rid of it in a hurry. And of course she can hit. She’ll be able to handle the pitching. Yeah, I think they’re getting a steal with her.”

Pickens, who has been attending Buford schools seemingly forever, said she looked forward to making inroads in a new community.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “I love Buford but I’m happy to get out of Buford because I’ve been here so long. It will be great to see a new place and get to know new people. I’m excited for the new coaching staff I’ll be under and I’m excited with what it’s going to bring me and what it’s going to teach me. Just excited to build relationships with my coaches and teammates.”

However, she said Buford will always hold a special place in her heart.

“I love this community, because everybody is so supportive here,” she said. “We’re known for athletics and we always have so many fans at the games, even people who don’t have children on the team or in the school. It was great to be in such a positive environment and this community has been so amazing in supporting all of us.”