Saucedo returns from injury to lead IU lineup

In the first Big Ten game of the 2012 season against Ohio State, IU scored two runs to decrease the Buckeyes’ lead to one run.

The team was looking to get three quick outs and to return to the plate in order to continue the comeback attempt.

With a runner on first in the bottom of the sixth inning, IU senior shortstop Breanna Saucedo set to go through a routine out.

Saucedo said the batter bunted to former IU first baseman Amanda Wagner, nicknamed Wags.

“Wags threw it to me at second and my foot was in front of the base when the girl slid into second,” Saucedo said. “Her slide fractured three bones in my foot.”

The injury didn’t require surgery, but she was in a walking boot for four months. 
 
By the end of the season, she was back to running and fielding ground balls.

Heading into 2013 — her senior year — Saucedo was looking to return and build on her strong performance from the previous season.

In the 28 games before her foot injury, she registered nine multi-hit games, had a .319 batting average and scored 18 runs. 

Against Ohio’s Miami University in the sixth game of the year, Saucedo felt a slight pain in her knee while attempting to take second base on an overthrown ball.

“There was an overthrow at first, and I turned to run to second,” she said. “When I rounded the base, my knee gave out.”

Saucedo said she didn’t feel a pop in her knee, and she was able to walk off of the field under her own power.

The next day, the training staff informed her that she had a partially torn ACL.

“I was able to keep walking on it for two weeks,” she said. “I ended up also tearing my meniscus after practice while fielding ground balls. The meniscus was definitely more painful than the ACL.”

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After her surgery, Saucedo spent every day from February to July working with three members of the training staff to return to full health.

IU Coach Michelle Gardner said Saucedo worked hard every day to get back onto the field.

“She worked so hard to come back,” Gardner said. “She was very diligent with her rehab. As soon as she was able, she was in the cage taking extra cuts. Even when she couldn’t practice full, she was out there doing everything she could to help the team.”

After she regained the ability to run at full speed in July, Saucedo was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA and decided to return to Bloomington.

Gardner attributed Saucedo’s return to her competitiveness.

“She’s so competitive,” she said. “She could’ve forgone her fifth year, but she really wanted to play.”

Despite suffering three serious knee injuries in a two-year span, Saucedo said she was more than ready to make her return.

“I wasn’t nervous to return at all,” she said. “After missing two years, I couldn’t feel anything but excited. I was so eager to get back out there.”

Despite Saucedo’s excitement to return, others in the clubhouse were both nervous and anxious to see her comeback, including Gardner.

“As a coach, there’s a fear factor,” Gardner said. “There is a hope that she doesn’t get hurt again. She wanted to be here and compete with her team. She’s worked so hard to get back. It is truly amazing to see.”

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As a lifelong athlete. Saucedo never suffered a serious injury before 2012.
The only time she ever broke a bone was in a minor snowboarding accident her freshman year of high school.

“I broke my wrist snowboarding,” Saucedo said. “Other than that, I’ve had no serious softball injuries.”

Prior to the injury during her junior season, Saucedo already secured her name in the program’s history books.

She became just the second player to ever lead the team in hits during her first two seasons. The task had not been done since Dianna Christiansen did so in 1977 and 1978.

Despite three serious injuries in two seasons, which limited her to appearing in 34 of a possible 109 games, Saucedo picked up where she left off.

She started and played in 41 games this year, and she currently is fourth in the Big Ten in stolen bases with 14. With a .342 batting average, 50 hits and 24 runs scored this season, she leads the team in all three categories.

Saucedo registered her 200th career hit April 9 against Michigan State.

The injuries haven’t changed the way Saucedo competes on the field. The only thing that has changed is her view on playing the game.

“I appreciate it more,” she said. “Every time I’m on the field I really take it in and leave all that I have on the field. Every game. Every inning.”