Oak Park River Forest junior softball player Ellie Ziegler is certainly glad that 2014 is in her rearview mirror.
Ziegler spent last spring on JV until her season was cut short by a horrific injury. She was playing shortstop when she raced to the outfield to try to catch a blooper, but collided with outfielder Josie Whisman.
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Ziegler immediately felt a terrible pain in her right leg. She was taken off the field on a stretcher and whisked away by ambulance.
“It hurt a lot and was really scary,” Ziegler said. “I was laying on the ground freaking out. Then I got really freaked out thinking I might miss the whole year.”
At the hospital, doctors discovered that she broke the tibia and fibula in her right leg. She underwent surgery and had a titanium rod and four screws inserted into her leg, followed by grueling rehab that took most of the summer.
“It was very sad missing that whole summer season,” Ziegler said. “It was really bad for recruiting. I want to play in college, but the coaches weren’t seeing me. But it definitely gave me perspective on what it’s like not to play. If anything, I learned a lot just from watching the game.”
Ziegler was able to get in a few at-bats over the summer for her club team, the Oak Park Windmills. She had a good fall season, but started having problems with the big toe on her right foot.
“My toes were completely fine, but when I broke my leg the tendons in the back of my leg started to coil up and they pulled my toes down,” Ziegler said. “It was super-painful and it wasn’t getting better so I saw a foot doctor.”
Ziegler was thrilled when her doctor said the toe could be fixed, but the smile on her face quickly disappeared when she learned she would require more surgery. Luckily, the recovery was quick and she’s experienced no problems this spring.
The Huskies needed an outfielder, so they moved Ziegler to right field and she has excelled. She had a snow-cone catch on the warning track in the Huskies’ 11-0 five-inning win over Maine West on Saturday, May 30 in the Maine West Regional championship.
“The rain was in my eyes and I didn’t know how I was going to catch it, but I got it at the last second,” Ziegler said.
“It is very, very fun to be back on the field. It’s just been awesome to get to play and I love my team. We just want to keep playing our best and stay on the road to state.”
The Huskies advanced to the Niles West Sectional semifinal set for 4:30 p.m, Wednesday,
OPRF coach Mel Kolbusz is proud of how far Ziegler has come in the last 14 months.
“Last year was a terrible year for her,” Kolbusz said. “I know she was a little disappointed to be on JV, but it was the best for her to get more at-bats. Then she had a brutal collision, but she rehabbed her butt off. I went to see her at the end of the summer and she was out there limp-running around. She’s a great kid and she was carrying us early in the year. It’s awesome to see.”
Notes
* Chardonnay Harris was lights-out on the mound for the Huskies (29-3), striking out eight while allowing just one hit and one walk. The only hit by Maine West (15-15) came on a bunt.
* OPRF’s other pitcher, Emily Richardson, played DH and came through with her bat. She clubbed a three-run home run to left in the third to give the Huskies an 8-0 lead. “I like to do the book [when not pitching] because it keeps me in the game,” Richardson said. “I wasn’t thinking of hitting a home run. I just wanted to get a run in, but it went over the fence.”
Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.