When Paige Carter says she’s feeling good, it might seem like a simple statement.
But it’s more profound, considering in the last two years, the Lake Central senior has undergone major knee surgery and suffered a severe concussion.
Despite missing almost a month because of the concussion, Carter was instrumental as the Indians reached last season’s Class 4A state championship game. She missed her sophomore season because of her knee.
An even bigger final season should be on tap. The Western Kentucky recruit’s health has progressed so far that the plan is for her to return primarily to her best spot at catcher.
“I’m really looking forward to it — that’s my favorite position,” Carter said. “I don’t want to allow any passed balls, any runners to steal. I want to be the best hitter I can possibly be. I just want to help lead the team.”
Carter was among the leaders last season, playing second base and batting third. She hit .402, highest among the regulars. She added three home runs and 25 RBIs, second on the team, and a .440 on-base percentage, also highest among the regulars.
Carter posted those numbers in just 23 games, missing 10 because of the concussion — suffered in her first and last game at catcher on May 6 against Portage.
An AP test then-senior Sydney Scherzinger was taking ran late, so coach Jeff Sherman asked Carter if she wanted the spot.
“Paige loves to catch, she missed it, so she was really excited,” Sherman said.
That excitement was short-lived. On a foul ball toward third base, Carter and Maddie Blythe collided.
“I was really low, getting ready to dive,” Carter said. “She ran right through my head, and my helmet flew off. I blacked out and was dizzy.”
Still, Carter quickly regrouped, feeling “fine” and answering the necessary questions to finish the game.
But she started experiencing a headache on the bus, and it continued at school. She couldn’t tolerate the lights in class.
Carter followed up with Sherman, and an immediate visit to the concussion clinic at Community Hospital confirmed the diagnosis.
After several attempts, she passed the test to play, returning for regionals on June 2 against Crown Point. She delivered a first-inning single for the first run.
“She hadn’t faced live pitching, going against Miranda Elish, biggest game of the year to that point, and we didn’t hesitate to put her in the lineup in the three-hole,” Sherman said.
Save for injuries, Carter has been a fixture. As a freshman, she rotated among right field, third base and catcher.
“She’s so talented with the bat, she had to be somewhere,” Sherman said.
A troublesome left knee cost Carter her sophomore season. Initially diagnosed as a bone bruise, with therapy and the eventual use of an immobilizing brace not alleviating the pain in eight months, a trip to the University of Chicago recommended microfracture surgery.
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Years of catching wore away the cartilage, with her kneecap cracking and damage to the tendon.
Carter underwent surgery in April of 2014. That fall, injections — “painful,” she said — to both knees provided added relief.
“It’s a surgery doctors sometimes say you’re never going to play again,” Sherman said. “It’s impressive she even came back.”
Especially at a high level.
Western Kentucky recruited Carter mainly at catcher, and she could play second and the outfield. But it was her offense, even as a 5-foot-1 hitter, that stood out most.
“She got overlooked because of her size,” Sherman said. “It’s, like, ‘Wow, you see what she does, how can you think she can’t play?’ She’s dealt with the vertically challenged portion of her life, she’s dealt with the injuries to earn a Division I scholarship. She plays with that chip on her shoulder.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff