Softball prospect excels after knee surgeries
A blur of motion. The arm whipping in a full circle, hips snapping forward, legs punching off the mound and a firm wrist snap at the release. The result is a ball hurling at more than 60 miles per hour toward the plate less than 40 feet away.
Throwing a fast-pitch softball takes a sequence of mechanics, fast, explosive movements — and a lot of practice, according to Taylor Cawley of Archbald, Pa.
Cawley has been pitching since she was 7 years old. She had an illustrious career playing for Valley View High School, which culminated with her on the mound for the state championship game in June at Penn State University.
“It was crazy. We had so many fans at the state championship game and they cheered for every pitch,” she said. “It felt really good to play in that game.”
She didn’t just play, she shined. Cawley recorded 13 strikeouts and was named the state championship player of the game. The effort combined with her amazing senior season helped her secure a scholarship to continue her softball career at Binghamton University in New York.
What makes these achievements even more amazing is Cawley’s hard work and determination to reach this point in her career, overcoming two significant knee injuries that required surgery and extensive rehabilitation during her high school career.
“My freshman year, in one of my first games, I threw a pitch and felt something pop in my left leg,” Cawley said.
One of the team’s athletic trainers, employed by Geisinger, helped Taylor on the field and referred her to a Geisinger orthopaedic urgent care facility for an evaluation. An MRI during an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon the next day determined the worst: She had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and had medial and lateral meniscus tears.
“Given Taylor’s young age and high-level sports participation, I recommended ACL reconstruction as well as meniscal repair. I believed this would give her the best chance of returning to softball,” said Mark Pallis, D.O., a Geisinger orthopaedic surgeon. “After a thorough discussion with her and her father, she elected to proceed with surgery.”
Cawley was put in a knee brace, provided crutches and started physical therapy to regain range of motion and decrease swelling prior to her surgery in May 2022.
Dr. Pallis reconstructed Cawley’s ACL using a quadriceps tendon autograft, which involves taking a thin strip of the middle of the quadriceps tendon just above the knee. The tendon was then used to reconstruct the knee ligament. Dr. Pallis also repaired her meniscus tears during the surgery.
“Taylor worked very hard, and she was cleared to return to softball without limitation in January 2023, eight months after surgery,” Dr. Pallis said.
Cawley returned for her sophomore season and had success. However, in January 2024, during her junior year, she began to have some pain and issues with her knee.
“Taylor came to see me with complaints of increasing lateral knee pain and clicking over the previous few days while pitching,” said Dr. Pallis. “An MRI confirmed that she had a new lateral meniscal tear. After a discussion, she decided to proceed with knee surgery, in an effort to maximize her potential for recovery and minimize time away from the sport.”
She was on crutches for 6 weeks and her recovery lasted six months, but she was able to return to the field for her senior season. And what an amazing senior season it was.
She garnered numerous accolades on her way to the state championship game, including Scranton Times Athlete of the Week and Softball Performer of the Year, National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All Region Second Team Pitcher, PA Softball Coaches Association First Team All-State Pitcher and Lackawanna League D1 Player of the Year.
“I am so thankful for everyone at Geisinger that helped me through these injuries. Dr. Pallis was amazing. He explained everything to me and my parents,” she said. “My Geisinger physical therapist Lynn Winter helped me through a lot as well. PT is not fun, but she made it the best it could be. She challenged me to get me where I am.”
Dr. Pallis couldn’t be prouder of the work Cawley did to overcome her injuries.
“It is extremely gratifying for me to see athletes overcome injuries and excel. This is exactly why I became an orthopaedic surgeon,” he said. “I am so proud of Taylor and what she has accomplished. She remained resilient through it all and fought hard to get back after her injuries. She deserves every bit of the recognition she has received, and I look forward to seeing what she does at Binghamton.”
