STANDISH, MI – It was a rocket shot to right that Taylor Stodolak will never forget.
Just a sophomore – and facing one of the state’s greatest pitchers on one of the state’s grandest stages – Stodolak ripped an improbable line shot over the right fielder’s head. She raced to first, to second and on to third with an RBI triple in the 2019 state semifinals, one of the most memorable hits in Standish-Sterling softball history.
“With the crowd going wild and everything, it was a big moment for me,” Stodolak said. “I felt like I was on top of the world.”
She never envisioned it would be the final swing of her high school softball career.
Stodolak’s career held such great promise and potential as she stood beaming on third base that day in 10th grade. But fate, fortune, a worldwide pandemic and an earth-shaking injury conspired against her.
For her to build on her Standish-Sterling softball memories, she would need to create something out of nothing. And her teammates were determined to give her that opportunity.
On Friday, senior Taylor Krzyzaniak checked out of the Panthers lineup in the bottom of the fifth inning against Saginaw Valley Lutheran, yielding her at-bat to a teammate who owned the respect and regard – and the heart – of every player on the team.
There would be no rocket shot this time, but everybody knew something special was about to unfold when Taylor Stodolak stepped to the plate.
Out for the season and her career at an end -- courtesy of a detached anterior cruciate ligament and a torn meniscus in her knee – Stodolak was given a single chance to bat.
She took it and – against all orders – ran with it.
A crazy, new challenge
Since age 7, Stodolak has been hooked on softball. Normally the fastest player on the field, she turned heads by the way she covered ground in the outfield and burned around the basepaths.
But to become a standout high school player – and have a shot at a collegiate career – she adopted a drastic measure. On the advice of Standish-Sterling varsity coach Rich Sullivan, she made the move from a right-handed hitter to a left-handed slap hitter.
“I noticed her speed and ability in about sixth grade,” Sullivan said. “She was a decent hitter but needed some work. I always wanted that left-handed slap hitter, and she turned into my project.
“She had a couple summers of very little success, where she was really struggling with it. I was losing the confidence of her dad and some other coaches, saying ‘Maybe she should go back to right-handed.’ But she stuck with it, and she busted her butt to make it work.”
Stodolak took the challenge to heart. She worked on her new craft year-round, getting in the batting cage or the fieldhouse or hitting off her backyard tee as often as she could.
Slap hitting is an intricate skill requiring concentration, athleticism and incredible hand-eye coordination, with the batter trying to make contact with a 55 mph pitch while being in motion herself. The intent is to put the ball in play and simply beat the ball to first base. It is not for everybody.
“I was definitely surprised, and I thought he was crazy for suggesting it,” Stodolak said. “Switching hands didn’t seem right. I got up to the plate the first few times thinking ‘You’re out of your mind, dude.’ After I figured it out, I thanked him and said ‘You’re smarter than you look!’
“It took my whole freshman year to get comfortable. I kept pushing through and hoping everything would work out the way Coach Sullivan said it would.”
Standish-Sterling's Taylor Stodolak sprints to third with a triple during the 2019 Division 3 state semifinals against Millington. Jake May | MLive.com
Key player in a key game
By her sophomore season, Stodolak had earned a spot in the everyday lineup, batting .268 out of the No. 9 hole. She was also a fixture in left field, playing a key role in the greatest season in Standish-Sterling history.
She helped the Panthers capture their first-ever regional championship in 2019 and earn a spot in the final four of Division 3, where they ran into No. 1-ranked Millington. Standish-Sterling was down 3-0 in the fifth inning and showing little life against Kent State University-bound ace Gabbie Sherman.
Then Stodolak gave the Panthers faithful a moment to cherish. She connected with a Sherman fastball and sent it to the right-field fence, bringing home Karasyn Kraska with a raucous run. Millington would go on to score a 7-1 victory en route to the state championship, but in that instant, the upstart Standish-Sterling program knew it belonged.
“That wasn’t something you’re expecting from a slap hitter,” said Ryan Stodolak, Taylor’s father. “They’re usually about base hits through the infield. That one came out of nowhere. That was one of the prouder moments I’ve had with her. It was pretty exciting.”
That was also the moment that seemed to solidify Stodolak as a legitimate slap hitter with a promising future in the game. Before long, she was offered – and accepted – a chance to play at the next level with Lawrence Tech University.
Her softball star was on the rise. Until a fall that no one saw coming.
Taylor Stodolak poses with her father, Ryan Stodolak, during the 2019 season. (Photo provided by Brittany Cline)
A year without the game
The Panthers were hungry to return in 2020, keeping nearly their entire lineup from their state semifinal run intact. But before they ever touched the field, their season was over.
The coronavirus pandemic wiped the entire spring sports season off the calendar, negating any chance Standish-Sterling had of chasing its state championship dreams.
“We definitely had a good chance to take it pretty far,” Stodolak said. “It was heartbreaking to not get that chance to show what our team was capable of. Losing all those seniors, it was hard.
“I didn’t want to admit it was real. I kept believing that it might come back around. After about a month it hit me and I was heartbroken. We were only left with the what ifs.”
Stodolak continued to work on her craft on her own. By July, travel leagues were back in session and she joined the Midland Explorers. But her high school hopes had now come down to one last year, and she went to work on making her final prep season her finest prep season.
Standish-Sterling’s Taylor Stodolak passes the ball during a game against Nouvel Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at Standish-Sterling High School. (Cody Scanlan | MLive.com)
A freak injury
Before Stodolak took the field for her senior year of softball, she would be part of another team of great potential. She played guard on the Standish-Sterling girls basketball team that was pushing for its first Tri-Valley West championship.
The team’s title hopes came down to one game: A showdown with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Saginaw Nouvel in a winner-take-all championship clash.
The game lived up to its billing, a back-and-forth battle that wasn’t decided until the final shot came at the final horn. In the end, Standish-Sterling emerged victorious with a 40-37 victory. But the celebration was tempered because of a teammate on crutches.
In the second half, Stodolak stole the ball and was driving in for a layup. When she landed, she tumbled to the ground in a heap. Play stopped and coaches and trainers carried her off the court.
“As soon as she went down, I knew it wasn’t good,” Ryan Stodolak said. “She’s never really been hurt in her career. So, for her to be down on the floor like that, I knew it wasn’t good. My first thought was ‘Oh, my God. Don’t tell me…’
“It was a freak injury and it came at the worst time of the year.”
Stodolak said her cousin had suffered a similar injury earlier in the year, so she feared it would have long-range ramifications. In the moment, she felt the pain of missing out on the end of a championship game and an eventual tournament run.
“I watched my team win the championship then went to the hospital,” she said.
Standish-Sterling senior Taylor Stodolak puts down a bunt against Valley Lutheran. (Photo provided by Brittany Cline)
Tough news
Stodolak said she was initially told the injury wasn’t major and that she would likely recover with a few weeks of physical therapy. So she began a rehab program that was expected to have her back in action in time for the bulk of the softball season.
“She felt like she was getting close to returning,” Ryan Stodolak said. “When she went back, they sent her for an MRI, and we were thinking they would say everything was good and she could return in a few days. But the doctor showed us the MRI and said ‘This is the ACL. It’s not attached.’ Both of us looked at each other and our mouths just dropped. We didn’t see it coming.
“She was very emotional on the way home, and I don’t blame her. She has been waiting for this year for a long time.”
When she got home, her first call was to Sullivan.
“It was pretty emotional,” she said. “I told him ‘You’re losing me as a player for good.’ And we had a good heart-to-heart conversation.
“The next day I went to practice and received a lot of love and hugs. My teammates were just as heartbroken as I was.”
Stodolak continued to attend all the games and most of the practices, but she knew she would be relegated to emotional support. With knee surgery and a 9-12-month rehabilitation looming, there was little else she could do for her senior season.
Taylor Stodolak is congratulated on her bunt single by Standish-Sterling assistant Steve Stodolak. (Photo provided by Brittany Cline)
Given the bunt sign
Stodolak’s new motto became “Make the most of it.” And her coach and teammates came up with a way to do just that.
“As good of a kid as she has been and as good of a teammate that she is, we wanted to honor her, respect her and get her in the books as part of this team for her senior season,” said Sullivan. “So we came up with this idea to send her up to the plate to put down a bunt – not to run – just put down a bunt and let them throw her out.
“Her dad told me she pretty much cried all the way home after I told her about it. She was excited about it, happy about it, but it was also a little reminder that this is her only chance to be in Panther uniform again.”
Sporting No. 22 for one last time, Stodolak pinch hit for Krzyzaniak -- her buddy, her classmate and her team’s leading hitter – in the fifth inning of a 7-1 ballgame Friday. A sprawling crowd rose to its feet to witness this nice, little tribute.
But this would be no ceremonial at-bat. Stodolak dropped the bunt down the third base line then scooted toward first as quickly as she dared – fast enough to beat the throw and record one final hit on her high school stat line.
“She was not supposed to run, but she said her instinct kicked in and she took off,” Sullivan said.
A pinch runner took her spot and Stodolak was greeted with a big hug by Sullivan, then let out a little celebratory “Whoop!” to the delight of her teammates in an emotion-filled dugout. With that, the Standish-Sterling senior’s season came to a close.
The rocket shot to right would not stand as her final -- or her finest -- high school moment.
“The tough part is I’ll get a little taste of it and it’s gone,” she said.
“But I keep leaning toward the idea that this is preparing me for any hardships that might come. It isn’t all about sports. You grow through difficult times, and I’m going to make the most of it.”
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The Link LonkMay 15, 2021 at 06:12PM
https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2021/05/forget-the-ceremonial-at-bat-injured-senior-dashes-to-first-for-final-moment-of-glory.html
Forget the ceremonial at-bat, injured senior dashes to first for final moment of glory - MLive.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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