by North Ridgeville Softball standout pitcher and hitter Autumn Behlke has had it anything but easy this past year, but continues to shine the like the star she is on the diamond. Coming into this week, Behlke was currently hitting .411 with 13 runs, 21 RBI’S, 23 hits, 4 homeruns, and 4 doubles.
Her pitching record is 5-1 with 1 save, ERA 1.246 with 68 K’s in 39.1 innings pitched. Monday evening against Berea-Midpark, she improved on those numbers as Autumn looked great on the mound only giving up 1 infield hit with 9 K’s and was 2-3 at the plate.
She first started playing softball at age 5 in McAllen, Texas where her family lived at the time. She started pitching at age 8 simply because she loved watching college pitchers on TV and because it seemed fun! She also wanted to try pitching because she knew this meant she would be involved in every play.
At that age, and at any age in your youth, you never consider injury, but sadly, that is exactly what young Autumn had to deal with this past fall. “I don’t know exactly when the injury occurred but the pain definitely started early into my travel fall ball season. Unfortunately, I had a misdiagnosis first but got the news that I had a foot fracture on October 18. To say hearing my diagnosis and the recovery timeline was crushing, is an understatement.
So many emotions and what if scenarios were going through my head, especially with the navicular bone being such a difficult bone to heal and requiring such trial and error regarding treatment. Overall, the healing process was very long, grueling and frustrating so I’m very glad that’s behind me.” Said Behlke upon learning of the injury.
Behlke quickly learned how easily it can all be taken away, this is most times a tough pill for a teenager to swallow but she used it as motivation to get through a tough rehab and back on the diamond as she explained here, “Rehab was nowhere near easy, but thankfully I had an amazing physical therapist who got me back on the field as quickly and safely as possible.
I did my fair share of band exercises, ladder drills, balance work, and lots of other strength and agility work. I definitely had to stay on top of my long list of exercises to do daily, but doing so helped me get to the place I am now!” said Autumn.
She would go on to explain what coming back from the injury has meant to her, and what it feels like to be back with her teammates, “Coming back has been a physical and emotional roller coaster. Having to relearn my new foot and how my body works after being immobile for so long has been very difficult. Dealing with your body not working or responding the way you are used to can be really frustrating and definitely takes a toll mentally.
Having to deal with the ups and downs of getting back to the player I was and muscle memory has been trying at times, and still is, but I am continuing to work to be better than before. I can’t even put into words how amazing it was stepping back out onto the field and competing with my teammates after sitting on the sidelines for what felt like forever. I am ecstatic to be out there contributing to our success and sharing the field with my team again!”
I spoke with North Ridgeville softball manager Amy McMillan who had this to say about Autumns comeback from surgery this season, “Autumn’s drive and determination is what got her back to where she is at. She put in the work with therapy and she wasn’t going to let this surgery limit her. “
Her mother, Shawna Amato – Behlke was the star athlete for the North Olmsted High School class of 1999. She was a member of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and a multi-year letter winner in Softball, Basketball and Soccer.
Because of her incredible career on the fields and court as well as in the classroom, Amato would go on to be inducted into the North Olmsted High School hall of Fame in 2012.
Some would say, and I would agree, she is one of the finest athletes to ever come out of North Olmsted and if female athletes were given the same amount of attention they are today, she would have been a household name all over Ohio.
How do I know this to be true? Simple, I watched her play and dominate all three sports because I was a North Olmsted graduate class of 2000. And now, 23 years later, it is her daughter Autumn Behlke who is is tearing it up for the North Ridgeville Softball team after coming back from serious surgery. This reporter, is not the least little bit surprised with the determination and incredible work ethic that runs her in blood.
Shawna had this to share about the excitement she experiences watching her daughter play, “Honestly, I can’t find adequate words to describe how special it is! As much as I miss my playing days, I get far more joy watching my daughter play. She is totally happy and in her element on the softball field! I would watch and support any sport or hobby that makes her happy, but deep down I have to admit that I am ecstatic that it’s softball she loves!!
Like it would be for any caring and invovled parent, it was tough on Shawna to watch her daughter struggle and then comeback from the injury, “Watching Autumn go through this injury was extremely difficult. Actually it was more like a nightmare! My mom heart broke for her as I knew having been an athlete myself what a set back it would be. And then it was like she kept getting bad news.
For example, she was in a non weight bearing cast for 7 weeks but after that, a CT scan showed that the fracture wasn’t healed yet and would require surgery to put in two screws. So it was essentially like starting over. And that was after a one month setback because of a misdiagnosis! It was one thing after another it seemed!
She was going through a really difficult time in her life and didn’t have softball to turn to. It took a toll on her mentally and emotionally at times but overall she handled everything like a champ!
When it was time to start physical therapy, it was like a fire was lit in her. Her physical therapist told her that with a lot of hard work there’s a chance she’ll be cleared to play in time for part of her high school season.
That’s all she needed to hear to drive her. She was so ready to do whatever it took to get back out on the softball field. She was extremely dedicated to doing all of her exercises at home twice a day and worked very hard at every session with her physical therapist!
He was absolutely amazing and knew just how hard to push her. He even got emotional at one session saying how rewarding it has been to watch Autumn’s progress. We are so grateful to him! “
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to hard work, being driven, passion and the will to succeed. Raw talent can only get you so far. You can be the fastest, the strongest, the biggest, but unless you have work ethic, in game smarts and the ability to adjust, you will go nowhere. Behlke, has all of that and a side of chips!
None of this is lost on Autumn who had this to say about her bloodline and the help from both of her amazing parents, “Both of my parents have been such big contributors to my success in softball! They both played college ball and know the game inside and out, so they’ve passed a lot of their knowledge on to me.
My dad is my hitting coach, so he’s definitely shaped me into the hitter that I am. My mom was a shortstop and also a power hitter, so she’s given me many tips defensively and taught me how to be a shortstop and overall a solid defender.”
Like her mother before her, Autumn is smart enough to realize that baseball is very much a team game and it takes an army to win, night in and night out. Autumn explains here what she feels makes a great teammate, “to me, a good teammate is someone who is encouraging, hard-working, selfless and holds themself and others accountable.
Someone who is driven and focused, but also can loosen up and have fun! A good teammate takes ownership, but also picks others up when they may be struggling. Good teammates truly are happy for and want the upmost success for their teammates and the team as a whole.”
The future is bright for Behlke and the Lady Rangers. She is only a junior but has already verbally committed to Youngstown State University. She spoke about her goals for the rest of the season, and the plan to eventually attend YSU, “Some of my goals for the rest of the season would be to continue to strengthen my foot, work on fine-tuning my mechanics, not be too hard on myself, remain confident, continue to be dominant on the mound, play clean defense and be a consistent hitter.
I couldn’t be more excited to be a Youngstown State University commit! I am very much looking forward to continuing my career there and to have the opportunity to play for such a successful program with an experienced an expert coaching staff!”
Shawna explains the emotion of the return, and just everything that has made this season so extremely special for her daughter,
“I literally couldn’t be more proud! I had a front row seat to everything Autumn went through with this injury. When she took the mound for the very first time this season, we were up by only one run in the 7th inning. I held my breath and questioned if she was really ready.
She proceeded to strike out the side securing our win and earning the save. I didn’t realize all the emotions I would feel in that moment and just burst into tears. It had been such a long road but she was finally back!!
Autumn is a perfectionist and is extremely hard on herself so she’s never quite satisfied. She’s used to training and playing year round to always be at the top of her game. When you are forced to take a 6 month break, it takes time to get back to where you left off. And when you throw in a major injury on top of it, you can’t expect to pick up right where you left off! We just try to keep reminding her of that.
She’s still not at 100% but with that being said, Autumn’s stats thus far are absolutely incredible all things considered! She’s hitting well over .400 with 4 home runs and has pitched 44 innings with 77 strikeouts and a 1.1 ERA. I am absolutely in awe of her. Her grit, work ethic, determination, and drive is unmatched. That’s what I am most proud of!”
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