Southmoreland freshman pitcher puts off knee procedure for postseason success

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, June 3, 2018 | 3:27 PM

Before she was whisked off to join her teammates Thursday for a postgame championship celebration — high-fives, fist-bumps and photos; lots of photos — Southmoreland freshman softball pitcher Jess Matheny had to shift gears and slow a full-out sprint to a light jog.

She had to kneel carefully for a group shot with fans.

One might think Matheny would be used to her knee injury by now. It happened, after all, in late March, during the Scotties' season-opener at Chartiers-Houston.

Matheny tore the lateral meniscus in her right knee just two innings into her first high-school season.

Sixteen games later, her knee encased in a thick brace beneath her game pants, Matheny helped lead the Scotties to their first WPIAL championship in the team's first trip to the finals.

“I postponed surgery,” she said. “I thought my teammates would need me. I did it for them. I thought it was the right move. I wanted to play through it.”

And she did.

Matheny allowed five hits and contributed a single, double and two RBIs in the Scotties' head-turning, 12-1 win over top-seeded South Park in the Class 3A championship at Seton Hill.

The mercy-ruled finale was all Scotties from the top of the first inning until the bottom of the dogpile.

Southmoreland (10-7), a WPIAL champ in a girls' sport for the first time and set to make its PIAA playoff debut Monday, felt the pain of semifinal losses in two of the last three years before finally breaking through.

Matheny has felt the pain of postgame swelling, limited movement at times and tightness in the knee, which will undergo a procedure, “after states,” Matheny said.

Winning can sometimes hurt as much as losing, but players like Matheny are willing to pay the price.

“She missed the first three games,” Scotties coach Todd Bunner said. “But she has pitched and played in every game since. That's the kind of heart and desire that girl has. She has played on one leg. She got stronger and stronger towards the end of the year.”

Matheny was fitted for new brace late in the season.

“It's not that bad,” she said.

Neither is her game.

The talented lefthander is 7-3 and though she is not a power pitcher, working angles with a still-budding arsenal to get outs, Matheny leads a young group that could be good for years to come.

“We came out with such confidence (in the championship),” Matheny said. “We were so pumped when we got off the bus. I knew I had all of those other girls behind me.”

The core of the team — 10 of 14 varsity players — are not yet seniors. The roster includes five sophomores and two freshmen besides Matheny.

“We feel like our program is in a pretty good place,” Bunner said. “This team is so unified. These girls get along together and love each other and fight for each other. That's the way it's been all year.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Southmoreland