AFTER suffering a left-knee injury in last year’s UAAP finals, Tiger Softbelles ace pitcher Mary Ann Antolihao is back in the field with hopes of helping the team finally end Adamson University’s seven-year reign in the softball tournament.
The former Best Pitcher awardee hurt her knee in Game 1 last year and the short-handed Softbelles settled for another silver finish.
“[A]lam kong kailangan nila ako. Hangga’t kaya ko naman diyan [sa field], talagang ilalaban ko naman. Sana this year, wala nang mangyaring masama tsaka sana this year, makuha na namin [‘yung championship,]” Antolih
Softbelles head coach Sandy Barredo will also need to bank on Antolihao’s services even more this year, since no seasoned pitchers could provide steady contributions for the team aside from her.
UST lost former captain and backup pitcher Mallows Garde to graduation last year.
“Wala na akong pitcher [kaya] susugal na ako hanggang sa matapos ang UAAP. Kung maganda ang ilalaro niya, mananalo tayo. Kung hindi, sorry [na lang],” Barredo told the Varsitarian in an interview.
Antolihao took at least seven months off before returning to training. Her recovery required squats and lunges to vitalize her knees and thighs.
Despite nursing an injury, Antolihao managed to make the cut in the RP Blu Girls’ lineup which bagged a silver medal in the 11th Asian Women’s Softball Championship last December in Taichung, Taiwan.
The Taiwan stint added fuel to the desire of returning to the team, according to Antolihao.
“Kailangan hindi ko pansinin na injured ako kasi kailangan kong ilabas ‘yung best ko. Nilagay nila ako doon kasi alam nilang kaya ko,” the fifth-year Sports and Wellness Management student added.
During the early stages of recovery, Antolihao bared that she doubted her chances of a comeback in time for the tournament.
“Nasa isip ko, ‘Babalik pa kaya ako? Kakayanin ko pa kaya pumukol ulit?’ Minsan kasi natatalo ka ng isip mo kahit na alam mong kaya ng katawan mo,” she recalled.
Although still not satisfied with Antolihao’s current showing, Barredo is confident that his ace pitcher will find her groove as the season progresses.
“Siyempre may kaunting trauma pa ‘yan,” Barredo said. “[Pero] wala naming problema, hindi naman sumasakit ‘yung tuhod niya, so inaalalayan ko lang. Kailangan din maprotektahan nang mahusay ang braso niya.”
With one last chance to dethrone Adamson this year, Antolihao said she will go all out and treat every game as equally important.
During her first game back in the UAAP opener against theAteneo de Manila University, the 21-year-old pitcher did not disappoint as she tallied 11 strikeouts, anchoring UST’s defense en route to the 7-0 win.
