The injury
I've had my share of injuries before.
I broke my pinky in middle school and had to have surgery on it, which was a crazy experience in itself.
But this injury was different.
It was a hand injury that occurred during a game in Houston.
I honestly didn't think much of it at first.
It hurt, but I was used to that.
Softball is a game of pain, and I'm used to playing through it.
And I was ready to do the same with this one.
After a few days, my hand started to swell and bruise, and I knew something wasn't right.
I went to see a hand specialist, and he took an X-ray, but it didn't show anything.
He said it was just a deep bone bruise and that I needed to manage the pain and reduce the swelling.
I was relieved to hear that it wasn't broken.
My trainer had told me she was 95% sure it was broken, so I was excited that the x-rays showed no broken bones.
I wore a splint, did one-arm work, and was allowed to pitch as long as I didn't use a glove.
I was doing everything I was supposed to do, but it wasn’t getting any better.
While the bruising was starting to fade, the swelling unfortunately never really went down.
I was throwing in games and doing bullpens, but it was still painful.
In fact, the pain started to worsen again.
When we were in New Mexico, I also started to feel some popping and movement in my hand.
I was still hoping it was just a bad bone bruise, but my trainer insisted that I should probably get this checked out again.
So, upon returning from New Mexico, I got another x-ray done at Memorial Stadium.
We took another X-ray, and this time it showed something.
It revealed a fracture that was displaced and rotated.
I needed surgery, and I needed it right away.
I underwent a procedure that lasted about 20 minutes, during which they put two pins through my hand to stabilize the bone.
I was in a soft cast for a couple of weeks, and then I had a hard cast.
Then a splint.
Then rehab.
It was a long and painful process, but I was determined to get back on the field.
Unfortunately, in 2023, I never did, though, and had to redshirt.