Feltes anchors Saints on wounded knees
Jamie Feltes suffered a torn ACL in her right knee when she was in the fifth grade and just 11 years old, an awfully young age for an athlete to begin fighting knee problems.
She suffered another torn ACL - this time in her left knee - in April of 2015, just a few months before her junior campaign with the Xavier High School softball team.
She did not have an operation either time, either for the partial tear in the fifth grade or the complete tear last year.
"Last season I decided to play because I didn't want to lose a whole season with it," she said Tuesday. "I have a history of knee problems, so I wasn't going to mess with it too much and I kind of let it go."
Feltes, now a senior and a rock at third base for the Saints, has been a starter for the varsity ever since she was in the eighth grade, balky knees or not. She was back at her post Tuesday night, although she was a little late for the opener against Waterloo East after attending an orientation session at the University of Iowa, where she plans to become a nurse.
Feltes and the Saints swept Waterloo East, 11-3 and 9-5, at Bob Erusha Field with Maria Steffen collecting the win in the first game and returning for a save in the nightcap.
Feltes owns a gold glove at third base with her quick reactions and strong throws, and she still runs well despite the braces on both of her knees. She scooted from home to second base in a flash when she belted a double off the left-field fence in the first game and made a series of fine defensive plays at the hot corner.
