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Pair of Tigers dealing with injuries
3/20/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
Hays Daily News
Fort Hays State University injured sophomore catcher Jessika Anastos will likely be able to return to catching in the next few weeks. Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Adrian Mohr, though, may not hit or pitch the rest of the season.
Anastos, the Tiger starting catcher, hurt her shoulder in a collision at home plate during the Pittsburg State tournament on March 9. Mohr also suffered an injury to the fourth metacarpal on her right hand during the same tournament.
Anastos, one of the country's leading hitters, was the team's designated hitter during Fort Hays' double-header sweep against West Texas A&M on Wednesday. Mohr, though, had surgery with a metal plate inserted and couldn't play.
"We got word (Wednesday), a chance that (Mohr) will be back with an opportunity to play the outfield in three weeks," Tiger coach Tonja Hadley said. "We are real hopeful that we can get her back, but she probably will not see the mound the rest of the year.
"With that metal plate, it is probably doubtful that we will get her back hitting the rest of the year," Hadley added.
Mohr is 3-2 and ranks second on the team with a 3.50 ERA. She also carries a .324 average with two homers and 11 RBI.
Hadley has had to change her pitching rotation in Mohr's absence. Senior Emily Rockefeller, used mainly as a reliever, started the first game against West Texas and delivered a shutout in a 2-0 win. In the second game, a 4-3 victory, both sophomore Jessica Hamilton and freshman Kayla Rupa went four innings.
"We are going to elect starters depending on the matchups that we have," Hadley said. "We will really use a pitch by committee focus on it. If it takes three to get through one game then that is what it does. If whoever starts and can get through a whole game, then that is fine, too.
"It is kind of just the way things are going to go the rest of the way out, but I feel real confident in all three of them," she added.
Anastos has some inflammation on a tendon. She has started the rehab and strengthening program and could be back behind the plate in a week.
"The prognosis is, we just need to get her back and strengthening and increase her range of motion," Hadley said. "We are hopeful. It is kind of a day by day thing. It could be anywhere as next week, two weeks, it really just depends on how fast she heals and how fast we can get her strength back in terms of being able to throw."
Had Anastos played another position, she probably could have returned even sooner.
However, Hadley is concerned Anastos throwing the ball back to the pitcher could pose problems.
"The catching position isn't one where you normally make two or three throws a game, she has to throw the ball back every single time to the pitcher, that is something where you have to be a little bit more cautious than you would at any other position," Hadley said.
The injury hasn't slowed Anastos' hitting. She collected four hits in Wednesday's victories and nearly had another on a line drive that was hit right at the shortstop.
Anastos hit her 10th homer of the season, one off the school record, in the first game. Overall, she is batting .529 with 10 homers, 30 RBI and 29 runs scored in 28 games. She has 15 multi-hit games and has a six-game hitting streak entering Thursday.
Sports Reporter Conor Nicholl can be reached at (785) 628-1081 Ext. 127 or at
cnicholl@dailynews.net.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
