Mike Maynard, Sports Editor– 

When Annabelle Calderon ‘25 found out she was cleared on March 5, she was not excited. 

She was given the go-ahead to get back on the softball field an entire month and a half early, but this is what she expected from herself. To Calderon, this wasn’t a time to celebrate— it was time to get back to doing what she loved.

“I didn’t care [about getting cleared early], because [to me] I didn’t change the date I was getting cleared,” Calderon said. 

Calderon is a catcher for the Denison softball team. On Nov. 15, Calderon had surgery on her ankle, which she injured the previous spring. The hope was the injury would heal without surgery. However, that was not the case. After the procedure, her doctor said the damage was worse than anticipated. 

When Calderon could have been deterred and unmotivated she decided to attack this obstacle head on. The first couple of weeks were more challenging due to her immobility post-surgery, but once she could begin physical therapy she was working every day at the Mitchell Athletic Center. If there was mobility exercise she was given or was recommended to work on a machine, she was doing it every day until she could progress onto the next step. 

What proved to be a bigger challenge was the mental toll.

“There were a lot of tears. It took a lot of breathing work and I started journaling, which I’d never done before. I talked to a sports psychologist because I wanted to figure out how I could use the motivation of wanting to be back on the field as how I pushed myself when I could,” Calderon said. 

There was a greater emotion that would surface as well during this process, the feeling of being alone. 

“It was the feeling that I was alone, that I couldn’t talk to anybody. There wasn’t anybody who would really understand what I was going through, so how could I possibly talk to them about how I felt or what support I needed?” Calderon said. 

The injury was isolating for Calderon. It was a daily internal battle with herself to progress toward getting cleared. She was building trust within herself that she was capable of making progress and getting cleared in time for the season. Before she knew it, March 5 was here and it was time to find out if Calderon would be cleared to return to action.

“I knew that I would walk into that office and I would see Dr. Miller and he would clear me. It honestly just felt like something I’d been waiting weeks for,” Calderon said. 

As Calderon expected, she was cleared to return to play on the softball team. By the following Sunday, she was named in the starting lineup for their second game of the season in North Carolina against Meredith College. 

“I was like, obviously I did something right on Friday to feel like my coach had regained that trust in me. That’s what you’re working toward when you’re recovering from [an injury] you quite literally have to prove yourself to [your coach] all over again,” Calderon said. Calderon had played in 14 of 16 games, hitting a team-best .524 with four home runs, which also is tied for the team lead. Denison is 11-5 and will play host to Waynesburg in a doubleheader April 4.

Calderon has been playing softball since she was 5 years old. She has been fostering a love for the sport ever since she could first pick up a bat or throw a ball around. The sensory details of an early Saturday morning going to a game is where she goes back to when pondering on her love for the sport. 

“I love dirt, that’s so weird. I love catching because I’m just in the dirt all the time, I could roll around in it. I love the smell of fresh-cut grass and you can smell the wet air on the grass and you can feel it. Like, I’ve never loved something so much. I can’t imagine a life without this,” Calderon said. 

This entire experience of recovering from injury and making a comeback weeks before she was originally expected takes Calderon back to an important lesson her mother taught her. 

“I can remember my mom saying this to me ‘if it’s not broken or bleeding cry in the car.’” Calderon said. 

She takes that mentality into everything she does in her life and certainly every time she steps out on to the softball field. Calderon is the definition of determination and grit, and her journey throughout these past six months further proves that to be true.