Back from broken wrist, sophomore Selker fuels strong start for Freeport softball

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | 5:57 PM

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Sydney Selker made the most of her first varsity season with the Freeport softball team.

Last year, as a freshman, she batted .483 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and 28 runs scored. She also finished 8-5 with a 3.70 earned-run average and 114 strikeouts in 89 innings.

Selker is off to another strong start this spring, both at the plate and in the pitching circle, for a Yellowjackets team that is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Section 1-4A heading into a key rematch at Highlands on Thursday.

“I am always looking to push myself and work harder every day,” Selker said.

Her success this season comes after work put in to get back into top form after an injury ordeal that resulted in time away from season preparation.

Selker suffered a broken left wrist while fielding a grounder last year in a section game against Knoch. She stayed in the game.

“I was in pain, but my adrenaline was so high, and the game was super close,” said Selker, who throws right-handed.

An initial X-ray didn’t reveal the break, so she finished out the softball season, her club softball season with River City Venom and the fall volleyball season with the Yellowjackets.

“I got used to the pain, taking ibuprofen and taping my wrist,” Selker said. “I just sucked it up and played.”

A CT scan, Selker said, revealed the full nature of the injury, and she had surgery in late November.

Pins were inserted to stabilize the bone, and the wrist was immobilized with a cast while it healed. She was in the cast for three months.

“With the pins, I wasn’t allowed to do much for fear of them shifting,” Selker said. “I would pitch a little bit and do some speed walking, things like that, to try and stay in shape. I wasn’t allowed to run. I tried the best I could to stay positive mentally throughout that time off.”

Selker got the cast off Feb. 23 and was immediately given the go-ahead for workout sessions in the short time leading up to the start of official preseason practices.

“When I came back, I was so out of shape,” she said. “But I gradually started to get my conditioning back. I was careful with what I was doing. I just wanted to be back and ready to go for the season, and thankfully I was. I was just so ready to be back.

“I think as a team, we have the goals of being better and going far, and so far, it has taken a total team effort to get to where we are. I think we are starting to hit our stride.”

Through seven games, Selker is batting .478 (11 of 23) with three doubles, one home run and five RBIs.

She recorded a trio of strong pitching performances last week in victories over Greensburg-Salem (4-2), Knoch (3-2) and McKeesport (7-2).

She struck out 12 and surrendered one hit with no walks against Salem, scattered three hits and fanned eight in the key triumph over Knoch and struck out 11 with four hits allowed against McKeesport.

Overall, Selker is 4-1 with a 4.88 ERA, 58 strikeouts and 23 walks in 37.1 innings pitched.

“From her inactivity, Sydney felt she wasn’t up to her normal standards,” Freeport coach Sam Ross said. “It took a while for her to feel like she was doing well. Everyone helped keep her spirits up, making sure she knew that it would come in time.

“You always hear about mind over matter, and we were waiting for that first time she would take a line drive off her glove hand. It happened pretty quick, so that was a big step. She hasn’t had any setbacks, and we’re just pleased with what she has been able to do for us.”

Selker and the Yellowjackets hope to turn around their fortunes Thursday from a tough 12-2 loss to Highlands on April 4.

The three section victories last week put Freeport a half game behind 3-0 Burrell in the standings.

In the win against Knoch, the Yellowjackets rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Abby DeJidas, who is hitting .409 (9 of 22) overall in six games, singled and later scored on a wild pitch for the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth.

“We were all locked in for that game against Knoch,” said senior Autumn Powell, who is batting .400 (8 for 20) with a team-best 12 RBIs from her cleanup spot in the lineup.

The Pitt-Greensburg commit had five RBIs in a 13-3 win over Indiana and was a difference maker with a three-run homer against Salem.

“We all worked together and knew that we needed to do that to get the (Knoch) win,” Powell said. “We know so many of these section games the rest of the way will be close. The section is very competitive.”

Highlands, last year’s Class 4A runner-up and a state semifinalist, has played only two section games with the win over Freeport and a 6-3 loss to Burrell on April 13. The Golden Rams are 1-3 overall.

“Highlands is a really good team,” Selker said. “The first game against them was tough. We beat them last year, and we feel confident we can be them again. It’s exciting in the section. We all just have a fire under us right now.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport