Hanover Central junior shortstop Gabi Comia isn’t “scared” any longer.
After missing her freshman season with a meniscus tear in her left knee, however, Comia felt some trepidation last year.
She wasn’t sure how she would perform after the injury, and she wasn’t sure how she would be received.
“Last year I was a little scared because it was my first year coming in,” Comia said. “Coming in my sophomore year, I was just testing the waters, playing my game and trying to give out knowledge to everyone else and taking what everyone else had to say, because constructive criticism is always good, just to listen. Everyone has a different point of view, and I’d rather have multiple people telling me something than someone not telling me the right thing. So I tried to take it in and help people out when I can.
“This year it’s really just been playing my game. I know what I’m capable of, and I hold myself to a high standard. I’m just trying to do the best I can for this team and do what I can to help us succeed. But if I’m not doing well, this team has my back 100%. It’s 100% a family. I consider all of those girls my sisters 100%.”
That’s not to say Comia, a Florida recruit ranked as the No. 3 prospect nationally in her class by Perfect Game Softball, hasn’t been doing well for the unbeaten Wildcats.
Heading into Hanover Central’s game against Greater South Shore Conference rival Illiana Christian on Tuesday, Comia was hitting .727 with three homers, 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. She was leading in each category for the Wildcats (12-0, 6-0), who are No. 8 in the Class 3A state coaches poll, and her batting average ranked second in the state, according to MaxPreps.
“I’ve been working on everything — bunting, slapping, hacking — just to make it hard to defend,” she said.
But it’s not as if Comia did poorly in her first high school season last year. She hit .649 with two homers, 21 RBIs and 29 stolen bases.
“She’s having a tremendous season,” Hanover Central coach Sam Antkiewicz said. “She puts in a lot of work in the offseason, and it really shows during the season. She works hard with her dad and whoever to just prepare herself to be an elite athlete. Not only is she a special talent, but she works hard. She puts in a lot of effort.
“She had a really good season last year too. But this year it’s her maturity and leadership more than anything that’s different. Her skill set’s the same, she had a tremendous year last year and she’s just building upon that as she gets older. She’s continuing to have a fantastic career.”
Still, Antkiewicz understood Comia’s perspective entering last season.
“She’s been used to playing travel softball, and high school is just a little bit different,” he said. “She needed to just grow and blend with the girls. She just wanted to make sure she fit in with the girls — and that was an easy fit.”
Indeed, Comia’s transition proved seamless.
“We all love the energy she brings,” senior catcher Cyd Drousias said. “Having her on the team makes everyone else want to up their level to match it.
“She’s really picked it up this year in terms of being a leader. She’s taking over those huddle talks, getting the team motivated. It’s great having her on the team.”
Comia, a multisport athlete like her parents, averaged 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.8 steals for Hanover Central’s girls basketball team this past season. Her father, Dennis, a volunteer assistant for the softball team, and her mother, Stacie, both played college sports.
Comia’s brother Jared starred on the Hanover Central baseball team that was the 2021 Class 3A state runner-up. He spent last season at Illinois, where their cousins Branden and Jayden are on the roster, before transferring to Southwestern Illinois for this season. He’s in the process of figuring out his next step after junior college.
Gabi Comia hopes to experience team success in softball similar to Jared’s in baseball. The Hanover Central softball team has won three straight sectional titles, with its most recent regional championship coming in 2019, and she likes this group’s potential even with its inclusion in a more challenging sectional this season.
“This team is something special, and it’s insane to be a part of it,” Comia said. “I enjoy every second with this team.
“Our senior leaders are great. They’ve really preached staying together, being a family. Our chemistry is insane. We’re always there picking each other up. We’re not a selfish team. When someone’s failing, someone else picks it right back up. It’s great to be part of a team like that.”
Comia described how, during a day off last week, the team decided to do some field maintenance as a bonding exercise.
“We were just picking weeds, and we were having so much fun with it,” she said. “At the beginning, everyone was like, ‘What are we doing?’ Then we started picking them, and everyone was having a competition. We make it fun.
“No matter what we’re doing, we’re all smiling and having fun with each other. We really enjoy each other’s company. We like to have a good time, and we know when to have a good time, and we know when to be serious. … We have goals, and we want to accomplish them.”