Deer Lakes grad Makayla Blair won't slow down for West Liberty despite shoulder injury

A lot of coaches say they have players who will run through a wall for them. Few coaches have players who actually have done it.

West Liberty softball coach Herb Minch has one who (almost) ran through a wall.

Last season during a game at Concord, Deer Lakes grad Makayla Blair was stationed in right field, not far from the student cheering section. When a long fly ball was hit to right, Blair, as is her wont, went all out trying to chase it down.

But the noise from the Concord fans obscured the shouts of “Fence!” from her teammates. As the ball sailed over the fence, Blair plowed into it, leaving a small dent in the barrier.

“If I see the ball, I just want to get it,” Blair said. “I don’t care what’s in my way. I’m just going for it.”

And that is how Blair, for better or worse, has played softball throughout her life: no fear, obstacles be damned.

Minch admitted he sometimes cringes when watching Blair throwing her body around with little regard for her well-being. But she has become such a valuable player in the field, he is hesitant to dial back her enthusiasm too much.

Her energy and versatility have been in particular demand this season. With several key players lost to graduation — including her older sister, Katelynn, a pinch-hitting specialist — and injuries mounting, Blair has been used at four positions: left field, right field, third base and catcher. She also has been called upon to pinch run.

“She’s got that athletic ability about her,” said Minch, in his 25th season at West Liberty. “She’s going to dive for a foul ball out there in left or right field or behind the plate.

“She could be the best at any one of those positions at any time for us. Defensively, she can match just about anybody at any position with her physical ability and ability to make a play.”

The stats back up Minch’s words. Through West Liberty’s first 24 games, she handled 31 chances without an error. In her career, spanning 107 games through March 22, she had committed only four errors while jumping between four positions.

Blair played primarily catcher in her first couple of seasons, but because of injuries plaguing his outfielders this spring, Minch was forced to move her into the corner spots. Now, he said, he might keep her there.

“I love moving around,” said Blair, a junior. “I was actually really excited whenever (Minch) kept moving me. I was just, like, this is a new opportunity.

“I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself fielding. I just try to focus on the ball getting hit and just do one little thing at a time instead of trying to do something extraordinary. Just trying to keep it simple.”

For all her contributions, there is one blank space on Blair’s season: She has yet to register an at-bat.

Her absence from the batter’s box — a designated player/hitter is allowed, by rule, to take her spot in the order — has nothing to do with performance. Over her first two seasons, she hit a combined .273. She is out of the batting order because of a torn labrum in her left shoulder.

Surprisingly enough, the injury wasn’t a result of Blair’s helter-skelter playing style. It happened, of all times, during batting practice.

She was taking live swings in January when she felt a pop in her left shoulder. She rested for a few days hoping the injury was minor, but the shoulder kept popping.

“It was a step back for me because I finally developed a good swing that I really liked, and it was working for me,” she said. “The next thing you know, my shoulder just pops. … I was not very happy, but I’m just going to work with what I have and go from there.”

What she has is a good right shoulder, so, in recent days, Blair has been working on hitting left-handed. Hitting from the left side is not foreign to her. She did it some in travel ball, but this would be her first attempt to do it at the college level.

Her at-bats, once she gets them, might be limited to slapping the ball around to try to get base hits, but, she said, she will be happy with whatever contribution she can make.

“I just want to play,” she said. “I still have a bit of work to do. It’s kind of like learning how to ride a bike again. It’s still there. I just have to dust off the wear and tear a little bit.”

The sore shoulder isn’t going to make her shy away from diving for balls, particularly given that this could be her last season. Blair is on track to graduate in December, and, even though she still has one year of softball eligibility remaining, she is on the fence as to whether she will use it.

Of course, in her case, being on the fence is better than being in it. She certainly could have another close encounter while chasing a fly ball, but that’s fine by Blair. Going all out is what she sees as her legacy.

“I would like to be known as the girl who never gave up,” she said. “I came in as a freshman with a really good team, and I worked my butt off to try to get on that field. And even last year, they were really good.

“This year with my shoulder, it’s been a bit of a setback, but I just want to keep plugging through, try my very best and leave everything on the field.”