The crack of a bat echoes across the field, but Bridget Mazzo isn’t behind the plate, where she belongs. As her team plays on, she stands in the dugout, her eyes fixed on every pitch, every throw, every movement she used to be able to control as the catcher. In the summer of 2025, a single slide into home plate changed the whole game for her. Forcing her out of the game she had loved ever since she was a little girl. 

From the very first time she picked up a bat, softball has been a constant in Mazzo’s life, shaping her identity and fueling her passion. She grew into a competitive travel player and a team leader, always on the field, always in the game, but during what was meant to be the most important season, that lifelong connection was abruptly interrupted by an unexpected injury that forced her off the field. 

The Summer That Changed Everything

The summer before her senior year was supposed to be one of momentum. Bridget entered focused and motivated, both on and off the field. One of her New Year’s resolutions was to read the Bible every day, a routine she maintained consistently until constant tournament travel disrupted it. Soon after, a concussion made reading physically impossible, pulling her even further off track.

“Once I get off track, I really get off track,” Mazzo said.

During a summer league game, Mazzo slid into home plate and felt a sharp, intense pain when she stood up. Despite the pain, she played the whole inning; it was too important to be taken out. It was the last tournament for the summer. After the game, she went to the doctor, and initial X-rays showed no clear signs of an injury, leading the doctor to believe it was a bone bruise. He recommended that she wear a sling. 

Still, Mazzo continued competing in multiple tournaments, including nationals, wearing her sling in between games and playing through intense discomfort. 

“This was a big tournament,” she said. “It was too important.”

Her coach, Mike Buchanan, understood the risk of injury when players are aggressive and trying to make plays like Bridget. 

“I didn’t overreact to the news; the risk of injury is always there,” Buchanan said.

A Diagnosis No One Wanted

After the summer ended, an MRI confirmed what her coach had suspected all along: Mazzo had torn her labrum, a ring of cartilage that lines the rim of the shoulder and hip sockets, and she would need surgery. The diagnosis came just days before Senior Welcome Day. 

Two weeks into the school year, she underwent a Bankart repair, a procedure that restores stability to a dislocating shoulder by reattaching the torn labrum and ligaments to the glenoid bone. The surgery is more difficult for throwing athletes to recover from. 

“This just sucks, like my whole identity is softball, like I don’t know what to do anymore without it,” Mazzo said.

Recovery meant weeks in a sling and months of physical therapy. For the first time in her softball career, Mazzo wasn’t able to participate as a student-athlete. Instead, she attended practices and games as support, watching from the dugout as her teammates competed. As a catcher, she was used to controlling the field, calling timeouts, calming her teammates, and leading by example. 

“I went to every tournament and all of the practices, but it was just hard. It was hard seeing my teammates make stupid plays. I just want to control the game,” Mazzo explained. 

It was hard for her not to lead by example while watching the other seniors play. It was her year to be the senior. She was on the team for four years. She felt like when you are the leader, you are respected and you lead by example.

“I never got to be the senior, for me it’s one thing to be there and talk people through it, but it’s a different thing when I am playing,” Mazzo said.

Her absence behind the plate was felt across the field. 

“She is a pillar to this team; her energy and elite knowledge of the game lifts our level of play intensity. Without her behind the plate, it feels a little less in control,” one teammate said. 

Even while injured, Mazzo stayed involved.

“She was constantly at practices and workouts, even though she was unable to take part in them,” her teammate, Catherine Baker, said.

While being on the sideline, her coach, Mike Buchanan, often had to remind her to slow down.

“Aside from me constantly having to tell her, ‘No, you can’t do that, you’re hurt,’ it’s been a challenge,” Coach Mike said. 

“Her willingness to take risks sets her apart, particularly her meaningful ability to back-pick runners,” he said. 

“When the team is in a tough spot, Bridget’s ability to secure an out without a ball in play is a true game-changer.”

Her teammates also relied on her for her leadership. 

“She is extremely helpful and works with younger teammates to share her knowledge,” Baker said. “Her vocalization of the plays and the ability to control all situations presented make her someone we trust.”

Even from the dugout, her presence remained strong.

“She is definitely one of the loudest voices cheering, and she always hypes up the team,” Baker added.

Finding Faith in Recovery

While recovering, Mazzo found herself reconnecting with her faith. On the day she tore her labrum, she had written, “Let go, let God” on her arm, a phrase that followed her throughout her healing process. The Kairos retreat and attending church with her friends helped her strengthen her relationship with God. 

“Sometimes God has to take you out of a situation to bring you closer to Him,” she said.

She looked at the injury in a different way; she realized she needed to grow as a person before she could be a better teammate.

When she turned 18, Mazzo tattooed the phrase Let go, let God along with a cross as a reminder of the lesson her injury taught her. 

Being on the sideline forced Bridget to discover who she was outside of softball. She explored new interests such as cooking, baking, hiking, and yoga. She wanted to have hobbies that helped her stay active. It was difficult not to play softball, but it helped her separate her identity from the sport she had played for most of her life. 

“I love to cook and bake; the injury gave me more time to do stuff like that,” Mazzo said. 

The Power of Support

Throughout the injury and recovery, Bridget leaned on her support system. Her coaches emphasized patience and her long-term future. Her teammates continued to include her as part of the team. Her family members helped with transportation and daily support. Her sister, Grace Mazzo, watched her work through her injury, which was difficult to know, given that Bridget is set to play softball in college, but it revealed her determination and commitment. 

“I’m most proud that Bridget hasn’t given up her dream to play in college; she’s doing as much as she can. She doesn’t take any days off; she’s either going to practices or going to PT, even though it’s a slow recovery,” Grace said.

At the same time, some of her teammates were recovering from their own injuries and rehabbing beside her. They would check up on each other. Everyone was doing physical therapy; it wasn’t just her. It reminded Bridget that she wasn’t doing it alone. 

“It was helpful, bouncing off each other and knowing we would all get back eventually, it’ll just take a minute,” Mazzo explained

With school softball halfway through, Mazzo brings a new perspective to every practice and game. She is grateful that she has the opportunity to play. She gives her all in every practice and game, and doesn’t take anything for granted.

“It’s my senior year, I want to be a role model for everybody else,” Mazzo said.