Today we look closer at a 2015 Hot 100 honoree who’s had to overcome a big set-back in the last year, but looks to back in the swing of things after hitting her first tournament of the year earlier in October…

Name: RYLEE PIERCE
Grad Year: 2015
Pos: catcher/infielder
High School: El Diamante (Visalia, Calif.)
GPA: 3.95
Club: Fresno Force                                                                  
Stats: 2014: out with injury; 2013: hit .511 with 51 RBI, 14 home runs, .602 on-base percentage
Honors: CalHiSports.com 1^st Team All-State Underclass (2013)          
College: Missouri

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FullCountSoftball.com: This month (October) is the first time you’ve played softball all year… tell us about your injury and how it happened…
Rylee Pierce: I was playing basketball December 6 of last year and I jumped at halfcourt and came down wrong tearing my ACL and having a small tear in the meniscus. No one touched me, it was just a freak accident. I ended up having surgery January 2.

FCS.com: That was a month between injury and surgery… why the long wait?
RP: When I first got hurt I was on crutches for two weeks until they figured out it was the ACL. They initially thought my knee cap had dislocated, I didn’t hear a pop. About three weeks after the injury they realized what the problem was and I went to a physical therapist who told me to walk on the knee as it didn’t hurt because all the nerves were detached and there was no feeling. They said you should have full flexion and extension before surgery so afterwards you come back faster.

FCS.com: What did the doctors have to do to the knee surgically?
RP: They took a cadaver ligament and double stranded it to make it stronger, took it under the patella and screwed it down on the tibia and pinned it on the femur.

FCS.com: How extensive was your rehab?
RP: For the first week I was in a huge brace which was locked at 30 degrees and I couldn’t move it or bear weight on the knee, although I was constantly putting ice on under the brace. After that week I went to the doctor and he took all the wrapping off and I could walk. We tested the ACL, I took a step and walked out of the doctor’s office. I immediately said goodbye to the crutches!

FCS.com: You are a really good basketball player… that had to be a tough way to go out…
RP: Yea, I averaged about 10 points and eight rebounds a game playing the post. I would have been a four year varsity player, but now I’m an assistant coach. More of a stat person really.

FCS.com: How did the Tiger coaches take the news of your injury?
RP: I was worried to tell them because it’s always been a dream come true to play at the college level. I get along well with all the coaches and when I talked to them they were very supportive and reassured me that every would be OK and told me, “You’ll come back stronger, just do whatever you need to do to get back healthy.”

FCS.com: On a happier note, tell us how you were first seen by the Missouri coaches, then how long until they offered?
RP: The whole process went really fast. It was the summer after my freshman year and I was on the 16’s team and asked to go up to Gold where I played catcher. I was the only freshman on the team. I played with them the fall and summer and in 2013 at the Boulder Independence Day Tournament Coach (Ehren) Earleywine was at a game watching the team we were playing. He asked one of our coaches, “Who’s your best hitter?” and the coach were nicely said my name. I fortunately had a good game while he was watching, with doubles to left center and right center, and then he left and I struck out. The next day one of the Missouri assistants came to watch. They asked me to come on an unofficial visit soon after.

FCS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
RP: I went to the campus two weeks after Boulder and right before ASA Nationals in Oklahoma City. The first day we toured the campus I really liked everything and I felt I belonged there. I liked the feel of the campus and remember thinking, “I could really go to school here!”

FCS.com: How did you tell the coaches, in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
RP: I committed the second day I was there after they had offered me. I was there with my brother, Blake, who’s at Missouri and is a walk-on bullpen catcher for the baseball team. We called my mom before I committed and talked to my (Fresno Force) coaches and then went back in to see the coaches and I committed on the spot.

FCS.com: Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
RP: Not really, I’m pretty independent and my brother is there too. Plus, I actually have an aunt who lives about four hours from there that I’m close to so I’ll be fine.

FCS.com: Where do you think you’ve improved as a softball player over the last year despite your injury?
RP: I’m a different player now, I’ve mentally grown stronger and my work ethic is better.

FCS.com: What do you think are your strengths on the field?
RP: A catcher is a leadership position and I have the personality for it as I love to lead. I expect a lot from myself and I will do what it takes to succeed. I’ve put in countless hours in the cages to get better and I’ll keep working hard and do what it takes to be the best.

 

Quick Hitters (short answers)

 

Fill in the blank… I’m happiest when:_________________
… I’m improving.

What do you think is the No. 1 issue in the world today?
Economics and government spending.

Favorite food:
Anything with chicken.

Least favorite food:
Mushrooms.

Favorite place in the world:
The softball field. I appreciate it a lot more after it was taken from me.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I stutter sometimes. I can feel it coming at random times.

How would your friends describe you in one word?
Inspirational.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
Water.

Do you have any softball superstitions or rituals?
In high school I have to wear the exact same sliders at home games and when hitting I have to scrunch up my pants.

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
The hurting or sick people, because I appreciate that I have opportunities that they don’t have.

Team you love to hate:
Any team that doubts me… I’ll prove it to you.

What’s your “guilty pleasure,” something you hate to admit you love?
I’m a sucker for frozen yogurt.

If you could have a super power, what would you want it to be?
Invisibility.

What’s playing in your earphones/buds right now?
Country music.

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
My grandpa who died. It’s weird not having him around now, although it doesn’t seem like he’s gone.

What did you want to be when you were little?
A marine biologist.

Favorite athlete:
Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals).

Nickname(s):
Ry, Riles.

Something on your “must do” list:
I want to be a doctor of some kind.