Friday, March 31, 2000
Will power sparks Hacker's recovery
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
It was 42 degrees Tuesday afternoon, but Boone County senior first baseman Sara Hacker would gladly have played if it had been a lot colder.
The Lady Rebels opened their fast-pitch softball season with a 10-1 win over Lakota East, but the fact Hacker was even on the field was the real story.
Last May, Hacker's season ended when she tore a knee ligament. Such injuries often take a year to heal, but Tuesday she was 1-for-3 with an RBI single.
“I had some setbacks,” Hacker said. “I'm back after 10 months. I have a lot of will power.”
Boone County coach Patti Oliverio has had seven knee surgeries, so she knew from experience not to expect Hacker back at full speed until April — if not May.
“I figured it would be March before she did anything like (practice) running the bases and cutting and stuff,” Oliverio said.
Running the bases and cutting are things Hacker has done for some 14 years.
She grew up watching brothers Scott and Joey play baseball for Boone County and later Morehead State. She wears No.00 because they did and she has been a member of the Lady Rebel varsity since seventh grade.
“I grew up with baseball,” Sara said.
Hacker carried a .526 batting average with only two strikeouts on May 5, 1999. It was the top of the third inning of a game against Louisville Mercy when Hacker leaped to her right to snag a line drive.
“I just remember having the ball in my glove and falling to the ground and hearing something pop,” she said. “I knew something was wrong.”
Hacker moved to her right, but her cleats stuck in the dirt. The result was a torn right anterior cruciate ligament. It was the same injury that bedeviled Hacker's friend, former Lady Rebel basketball and soccer star Michelle Moss, who went through ACL operations on both knees.
Hacker tried to return two weeks later but was benched for the season when her surgeon didn't clear her to return. She had the operation last June.
Besides the rehabilitation came setbacks and the fear of never being the same player. Hacker also suffered an infection because her skin was allergic to the stitches.
“There was a lot of fear during the summer,” she said. “I couldn't walk fully until July. I still have a limp today.”
There was also a lot of determination. Boone County trainer Tom Burns said Hacker's knee had full range of motion within a week after rehab started.
“She worked day and night,” Burns said. “I was afraid she was going too quickly. You get that with a lot of top athletes.”
Tuesday, the work paid off. In the bottom of the third, Hacker singled up the middle off Lakota East freshman Ashley Keith, scoring freshman pinch runner Danielle Lindeman.
“I wasn't thinking about my knee,” Hacker said. “I was thinking about a ballgame. I thought, "Hack Attack's back.' I waited too long to do that.”
Hacker said rehab will be a part of her life for the next five to 10 years. She alternates between having trouble walking up stairs and running two miles, and she has learned a lesson.
“Never take anything for granted,” she said. “Any athlete needs to work.”
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