PREP SOFTBALL Coldwater standout returns from injury

After being hit in the face by a ball, Kelly Weigel was told her career was over.
COLDWATER (AP) -- Kelly Weigel strode to the plate during a recent softball game only to discover she had left behind her batting helmet.
She never forgets the mask that protects her shattered face, however.
Weigel was sliding into third base in a preseason game when the catcher's throw broke her nose and a facial bone. Her final season for Coldwater High appeared in jeopardy.
"The fact that I was a senior, I didn't want to miss out," said Weigel, the team's No. 1 pitcher. "Softball is my favorite sport. It was hard to sit on the bench and watch everyone play."
She didn't sit still for long. Expected to miss six weeks, she was playing full time well before the doctors expected.
Haunting experience
After reaching base on an error, Weigel was trying to steal third base in the game against Spencerville. The catcher's throw was on the second-base side of the bag.
Coldwater coach Jack Mescher was haunted by the sound. "It was so loud, I was hoping that it was the helmet, but I saw the ball hit her in the eye," Mescher said. "I saw her holding her face and seeing all the blood rush out. I never saw blood flow that fast."
Coldwater first base coach Joe Weigel -- also Kelly's dad -- rushed to her side.
"When the [ambulance] squad came in, I thought they might be taking two of us to the hospital," he said with a chuckle. "I was a little uneasy."
She had suffered a broken nose and a fractured eye socket bone.
"The first words out of the doctor's mouth were, 'Your career is over,' " said her father. "That was the only time she cried through the whole thing. She never cried when she got hit. Then they told her [that she could return] in six weeks. I don't think they knew what softball meant to Kelly."
When the surgery to reset the nose revealed that the damage to the orbital bone wasn't as severe as was first thought, doctors gave Kelly a brighter outlook.
As she mended, Kelly became the team's vocal leader on the bench.
"I was always yelling and trying to keep the girls in the game," she said.
Recovery
Eventually, Kelly was cleared to play, as long as she wore the protective mask to prevent more damage.
The coaching staff eased Kelly back into the lineup, allowing her to bat but sending in a pinch-runner when she reached base. She pitched an inning or two in games before going five innings in a 5-4 victory over St. Henry.
"I didn't know how it would be," Kelly said. "Especially running the bases. When I did get back, I was so excited I didn't even worry about being scared."
Teammate Amber Lefeld said Kelly's return had a profound impact.
"Her first game back, she had four hits," Lefeld said. "That was huge, seeing her come back from not practicing for so long and being that strong for us. You could tell we were down the first couple of games. As soon as she got back, we picked it up."
Since returning, her batting average has hovered around .600 and she had a 1.66 ERA while winning her first two games on the mound.
Still, she fights the urge to protect her face when the ball comes near.
"It's not that I'm scared. It's just a natural reaction right now," she said.
Kelly's teammates have fed off their captain's return.
"She's my hero," junior catcher Katie Homan said. "It's phenomenal that she can come back like this."