During her junior season of recovery, third baseman Morgan Reczkiewicz was there for her Oak Forest teammates at practice, at games, wherever and whenever they needed her.
Was it any wonder when the Central Connecticut recruit returned as a senior that she had a whole dugout of No. 1 fans?
“Everyone was cheering me on during my comeback,” Reczkiewicz said. “Even if I was nervous, I didn’t bat an eye because I knew they were going to be there for me.”
They were at home plate waiting for her with the biggest cheer of all Thursday afternoon during a 16-6 win over Shepard in a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Forest.
Reczkiewicz had three hits, including a huge three-run homer, for the Bengals (19-9, 16-3 SSC Blue). Hailee Morin and Addison McClure added home runs, while Nadia Andrysiak earned the pitching win in relief.
Ruby Aardsma hit a three-run homer for Shepard (14-12, 12-7 SSC Red). Meghan Potenza picked up an RBI double, while Emrie Peterson contributed two RBIs.
For Reczkiewicz, it was a storybook ending to her conference career as a Bengal.
Oak Forest trailed 6-4 when she came up with two on and nobody out. She responded with her fourth home run of the season, a skyrocket that cleared the fence in left field.
Not that she was aiming.
“I honestly was just trying to hit the ball,” Reczkiewicz said. “A big thing for us is not trying to pressure for those big hits, those doubles, those home runs.
“They’re going to happen, but if it drops in front of the center fielder, that’s what we’re looking for.”
There was a lot more to come. The Bengals, who at one point trailed 6-1, put the game on ice with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Enduring the pain. Keeping the faith. Never giving up. Reczkiewicz has been through it all over the past 19 months.
During the fall of her junior year, she was playing for the varsity volleyball team when she went up for a block and suffered a torn ACL in her left knee. Following surgery, she went through months of therapy.
Reczkiewicz, a .461 hitter as a sophomore, sat out her junior season in softball. But she was anything but missing. Oak Forest coach Nick Fuentes considered her as another coach.
To that end, she wasn’t afraid to guide her teammates. And they didn’t hesitate to listen — and appreciate her presence.
“She literally did anything she could to help us,” Morin said. “And no matter what, she was our biggest supporter. You couldn’t really tell she was injured because she was so active with us.
“That carried on to this season. She’s been a great player, but she’s also a great teammate. She’s still the loudest one in the dugout.”
This season, Reczkiewicz is hitting .441 with 30 runs, 11 doubles and 30 RBIs. She has walked 20 times, including once intentionally by the Astros.
“She has had some moments,” Fuentes said. “She had one against Oak Lawn where she came up and ended the game. I was happy for her to have a big moment like the one today.
“Morgan is a generational kid, talent, leader. She’s been everything for us for four years. Even as a freshman, she just had this aura and way of carrying herself that was different.”
It’s been full speed ahead since day one.
“I don’t think I was ever hesitant,” Reczkiewicz said. “The timing was actually perfect. I played fall ball, and that’s where I got back in the groove.
“My knee feels fine. Knock on wood, there haven’t been any things so far that I’ve been like, ‘Oh, that hurt me knee.’ It’s been all good.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
