Knoch's Gourley named Class 4A softball player of year
PENN TWP — The surgery was scheduled.
Her senior softball season at Knoch all but lost.
But Monica Gourley and her family sought a second opinion — and it changed the course of her final year with the Knights and perhaps her career as well.
For more than 12 months Gourley experienced pain in her right shoulder. It nagged her until finally she decided to get it checked out.
The news wasn't good.
She had a tear in her labrum and surgery was slated for early December of last year.
But another doctor suggested she try physical therapy instead.
It worked.
“And as of right now,” Gourley said, “it's fine.”
Her shoulder was so sound this spring in fact that Gourley turned in a stellar campaign both at the plate and in the field at shortstop for Knoch.
Gourley batted .643 and drove in 15 runs from the leadoff spot. She also had eight stolen bases and struck out just once in 70 at-bats.
At short, Gourley didn't make an error the entire season for the Knights.
Monday, she was named PIAA 4A Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association.
“It's pretty exciting,” Gourley said. “It just showed all my hard work paid off.”
Most of the hard work was done simply to get back in the field for her senior year.
Even with the progress she made in physical therapy, there were still lingering doubts if she could play at all.
Gourley proved she was ready and turned in one of the best seasons by a Knoch softball player in program history.
“This year I probably worked the most I ever have,” Gourley said. “We were just playing it by ear if I could play or not.
“When I was playing, there were still some times when I could tell I wasn't the same,” Gourley added. “I couldn't throw as hard or as far. But other than that, it felt fine.”
The shoulder did little to affect her approach at the plate.Gourley is a slap hitter, which is a dying breed since the pitching circle in high school was moved by three feet.Gourley has perfected her ability to precisely place the ball wherever she wants on the field at will.“My coaches have trusted me over the years to read the defense,” Gourley said. “The main thing I try to do is get on base whether it's a hit, bunt or a slap. Any way I can. It's kind of fun.”Gourley has been a slap hitter since she first picked up a bat and stepped into the box.Sometimes, though, it has hindered her when the situation calls for her to swing away.It's a constant struggle and one she has worked to address.“Sometimes when I think I'm swinging normally, I'll go to the dugout and someone will say, 'No, your back foot was moving a little it,'” Gourley said. “I have to really concentrate on what I'm doing.”Knoch softball coach Gary Coe had high praise for Gourley when addressing the softball coaches association.“(She's a) great leadoff hitter,” Coe wrote. “(She) slaps and bunts better than I've seen. Gets on base.”Gourley will attend Saint Vincent College to study to become a physician's assistant and will also play softball.“I was trying to decide between a couple of schools, but because of my shoulder I didn't talk to a few of them,” Gourley said. “I decided on Saint Vincent because of academics.”Gourley was joined on the All-State team by her Knoch teammate, Amanda Fisher, who landed on the second team as a pitcher.Fisher was 14-1 with a 1.70 ERA. She struck out 105 and walked just 10 in 82 innings.In Class 6A, Seneca Valley catcher Karli Hacker and Raiders' pitcher Claire Zimmerman each made the second team.Hacker batted .464 with six home runs and 20 RBI.Zimmerman was 11-4 with a 1.71 ERA.
