Senior second baseman Sophia Thormeyer had a great day with her bat for Providence.
But it was her dive and catch that rocked Monday. A face-first, arms-extended dive and catch.
A year ago, she wouldn’t — or more directly couldn’t — have done it.
“Physically, no,” Thormeyer said. “Definitely not. Not when I was recovering from labrum surgery.”
Call it an emotional high.
“I’m glad to be back on the field,” Thormeyer said. “I’m excited to be totally healthy. I want to strive to help this team have a really good season.”
It was a grand first game for Thormeyer, who also had two hits and two RBIs as the Celtics held on for an 11-9 victory over host Andrew in Tinley Park.
Kailee O’Sullivan doubled, homered and registered the pitching win for Providence (1-0). Grace Golebiowski added three hits, while Ella Kucala contributed two hits.
MaTaia Lawson tallied two hits for Andrew (4-1-1), including a tape-measure home run. Ana Cisek added a double and a triple. Abby LaPlant doubled twice and Maddie Hanik had two hits.
Andrew trailed 11-1 but scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and five more in the seventh before Abby Johnson came on in relief for the Celtics and finished off the save.
Thormeyer, a UMass commit, was a promising Southland newcomer in 2021 and had a solid freshman season on the varsity at Lincoln-Way East.
During the fall of her sophomore year, she was playing in a travel league game when she made what would be her last throw for a long time.
“My shoulder snapped and that was it,” Thormeyer said. “It was very scary. I knew I’d need to have surgery during a very important time in my career. I was hoping to get farther within softball.
“However, I was willing to do what was needed to get stronger and come back.”
First, she had to get a few things in order. It started with surgery and a transfer to Providence in the beginning of her second semester.
“My older sister (Laurelei) had transferred to Providence, and my mom and dad have always been with Providence,” Thormeyer said. “They said, ‘Why not bring you there, too?’”
That spring, Providence coach Jim Holba brought her on as the varsity team manager.
It was quite a role change. But Thormeyer’s dedication was unwavering.
“She was great,” Holba said. “She was like having a second coach. She would run drills, feed the machine. She would keep the book and help with the stats.
“As much as I wanted her on the field, I knew she couldn’t be. But she was fantastic.”
Meanwhile, she got to know her new teammates.
“Oh, yes, she was the best,” Golebiowski said. “I mean, she was just always uplifting and brought such a good energy to the team. I knew she would be a great addition.
“We would play each other during the summer after our sophomore year, so going into our junior year, I knew she would be a good fit for our team.”
Thormeyer played sparingly on defense in 2023, but put up all-conference numbers at the plate, batting .341.
Not as bad as sitting, but still …
“I didn’t do as much I wanted because I was struggling with the aftermath,” Thormeyer said of the injury. “I had to focus on my hitting solely. Seeing other people on the field was hard, but I kept working.
“Once I saw the right doctors, I knew I was ready to get healthy and play this game.”
The diving catch against Andrew came in the second inning on a spinner off the bat of Hanik.
There was no hesitation.
To hear her tell it, she even went a little Hollywood.
“When I saw that ball in the air I thought, ‘Why not make it look cool?’” Thormeyer said, smiling.
It did.
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
