Saturday was a beautiful day for history and Baldwin County senior Madilyn Byrd did just that against the Palatka Panthers from Florida when she racked up her 1,000th career strikeout.

The Tigers were playing in the Orange Beach Classic II tournament and fell in Friday action to Central-Phenix City and Ocean Springs, Mississippi. After Byrd collected 11 strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Satsuma to start Saturday’s play, the Florida Atlantic signee entered the Palatka game only four strikeouts away from the millennium mark.

Byrd wasted no time and caught sophomore Cali Taylor looking at a strike-three call then was ambushed by her teammates in the pitcher’s circle. Baldwin County sophomore Ryann Wallace caught the record-setting pitch as Byrd finished with seven strikeouts against zero hits and one walk over three innings of work.

Wallace was one of the Tiger batters who registered early-game RBIs to help Baldwin County get on the board in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Madisyn Williams started the string with a triple before freshman Nassar Brooks and Wallace delivered run-scoring singles.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 12-7 overall with their next contest scheduled for Thursday against the McGill-Toolen Yellow Jackets.

A three-time Class 6A all-state selection, Byrd represented Baldwin County at the 2024 AHSAA North-South All-Star Game where she teamed up with Daphne’s Vic Moten, an Alabama pledge, and collected three strikeouts in as many innings to preserve a shutout in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Last spring, Byrd also helped the Tigers to their first state tournament since 2022 where she logged 26 strikeouts over 21 innings. Baldwin County has qualified for the last three-straight South Regional Championships and will aim for a fourth in a row when area tournaments take place in late April.

Byrd also made the semifinals of Gulf Coast Media’s inaugural Athlete of the Year initiative last year.