ADAMS TWP — The thump of a tennis ball smacking off a wall echoes throughout Meghan Grill's home.

Grill is working on her hand-eye coordination. It's one of the few things the senior shortstop on the North Catholic softball team can do to stay sharp.

There's not a high school season to prepare for because of the coronavirus pandemic, and her club softball campaign this summer is also in jeopardy.

But Grill isn't about to let her skills erode.

“There's things I can do, even in the house,” Grill said. “It helps me stay sane since I don't have a season.”

When the weather cooperates, Grill also goes out to the driveway with a ball, tee and new net and gets in some hitting work.

When it doesn't, she can most likely be found lying on her back, tossing all matters of objects up in the air with her right hand and catching them with her left.

It all keeps Grill focused on the next step in her career at Indiana (Pa.) University.

It isn't lost on Grill that she's one of the lucky ones.

She gets to put on the spikes and play the sport she loves again, even after high school.

“I am very fortunate to be a senior and have four more years to play,” Grill said.

Grill has also been taking a different approach to her at-home practice sessions.

Grill has been working on the mental part of the game.

“I've always been about visualization,” she said. “Thinking about success. Analyzing myself as a player and working on the physical and mental things to make me better.”

Grill's father, Matt, played center field for the IUP baseball team in the early 1990s. He's been working with his daughter to fine tune her skills.

Grill batted .295 with three home runs, five doubles and 19 RBI while hitting in the heart of the Trojanettes' lineup in 2019.

Grill was also a standout fielder at short, committing just seven errors at the very demanding position.

She pays just as much attention to her defense at home as she does to her offense.

Working on her glovework is more difficult because of social distancing.

But Grill scours videos on YouTube in search of new and creative techniques.

She's also trying to get the word out about thinking outside the box when it comes to workouts during these difficult times.

“I would like to inspire as many people as I can through this,” she said.

Grill plans on majoring in psychology at IUP. She is also cognizant of how hard the isolation is when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic and the measures taken to slow its spread.

Grill has her older sister, Kailey, home from Penn State to socialize with, but has only been able to talk to her friends on the phone and through social media.

She finds on some days it is difficult for her to be active.

“It is definitely hard getting up and finding that motivation,” Grill said. “I've been working out every day. Besides softball, it's important to stay active. I run on a treadmill and do a lot to stay in shape.”

Grill is most disappointed that she and her teammates won't get a chance to improve on their 2019 season.

North Catholic went 7-9 during the regular season, but fell in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.

“I felt as a team this year, we definitely were going to make some noise,” Grill said. “I felt this year was going to be a really big year for us.”

Grill did get a chance to wear her North Catholic uniform once this season, in a scrimmage on a raw mid-March day.

At the time, Grill had no idea it would be her last chance to wear red and gold.

“It wasn't very nice out and the game was slow from the start — it wasn't the best game,” Grill said. “After the game I kept thinking about what I wanted to do, what I wanted to work on to get better for the next game. There wasn't one.”