Munn back in action after multiple injuries

<p><strong>T</strong>he hiatus between pitches thrown for Indiana Wesleyan softball player Danielle Munn in a game setting had been excruciatingly long.</p><p>A total of 724 days, to be exact.</p><p>And yet despite the odds stacked against her, Munn, a 2016 Whiteland graduate, quickly demonstrated she had literally lost nothing off of her fastball.</p><p>“My first time back on the mound, I felt nothing but incredibly grateful,” the left-handed Munn said of pitching the final two innings of the Wildcats’ 6-0 win over Midway in Westfield on Feb. 26.</p><p>“My journey definitely hasn’t been what I expected or planned for, but it has been unforgettable and one I wouldn’t change for the world.”</p><p>A world Munn once thought — albeit briefly — must be against her.</p><p>In March 2019, IWU was in the eighth game of a 16-game stretch in Arizona when Munn, who was working on a five-hitter through 6 1/3 innings against St. Francis (Illinois), felt a tear in her right knee while planting as she delivered a curveball.</p><p>“In that moment, I knew it was torn,” Munn said. “I was like, ‘What is God still trying to teach me through this?’ In the first couple of hours I went through every emotion in the book. But I have genuinely felt my life shift for the better through my ACL tears. It’s just God changing my path in life.”</p><p>Yes, ACL tears. Plural.</p><p>As a Whiteland sophomore, she sustained her first ACL tear during competitive cheerleading. Two years later, she was the starting pitcher in the Warriors’ home opener against Center Grove when she leaned awkwardly to scoop up a ground ball, re-injuring her right knee.</p><p>Munn counts a total of seven surgical scars on her knee, some more pronounced than others. They serve as a constant reminder of the physical and emotional pain she’s endured, not to mention the determination she’s shown in bouncing back every time.</p><p>This spring, the Wildcats are off to a 15-1 start and ranked 12th nationally in NAIA. Munn is 4-0 on the hill, having pitched 29 2/3 innings and allowing 15 hits while striking out 28. She’s part of a three-person starting rotation that includes junior McKenzy Ridge and freshman Alyssa Wagner.</p><p>Munn, now 23, graduated from Indiana Wesleyan last spring with a bachelor’s degree in secondary math education. She’s currently working on a master’s degree in organizational leadership and plans to pitch again for the Wildcats in 2022, in the process putting a positive spin on what initially looked like a dire situation.</p><p>“I really try to work alongside each player and come up with the best decision for them,” said coach Steve Babinski, who led IWU to the NAIA World Series in 2017 and 2018. “Danielle knew a master’s would be in her future, but didn’t know if she wanted to pursue it right away.</p><p>“When COVID hit, it’s one of those rare situations where it worked out so that she gets an extra year. She’s a fifth-year senior this year and will be a sixth-year senior next season. It’s a very unique journey.”</p><p>One in which Munn takes tremendous pride. During her latest stint to rehabilitate her surgically scarred knee, Munn became good friends with women’s soccer player Olivia Schmidt — her latest example of finding a way to turn a minus into a plus.</p><p>“Going into this year, all I’ve said is that I’m going to give it my all. There’s nothing else to do and no reason to hold back,” Munn said. “My teammates, my coaches and my family, there are so many people who have gotten me to this point.”</p>