ROUGH AND READY VALENCIA'S HARDY LOWE BATTLES BACK FROM INJURIES.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer VALENCIA - Whitney Lowe is more than just a terrific softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' player. She's practically indestructible in·de·struc·ti·ble adj. Impossible to destroy: indestructible furniture; indestructible faith. [Late Latin ind . A broken finger followed by an ugly eye injury that caused her miss the first six games at Valencia High this season didn't stop her. She returned and had one of the best all-around seasons among Foothill League infielders, batting .328 with a team-high 10 sacrifices. Defensively, she committed just four errors at second base to help Valencia (22-8) to the second round of the Southern Section Div. II playoffs. The eye injury, which occurred during warmups, was brutal. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and the swelling caused her eye to close completely. She still had a black eye more than two months later at the school prom. ``It was horrible. Her eye looked like Rocky,'' said her dad, Pat, a Valencia assistant coach. The injury not only hurt Lowe's eye, but but it also plagued her soul as she couldn't stand being out of the lineup and counted the minutes until she returned. ``It was hard not contributing, especially because it was my junior year, which is important, and I was finally playing second base, which is the position I love,'' Lowe said. ``It was just fun to be back and a relief when I was finally able to get out there again.'' One good thing was that the injury helped bring her closer to her teammates because of the compassion they showed. ``All the girls were really supportive. That made me feel a lot better,'' she said. ``That's what teammates are there for.'' Among those who missed Lowe the most was coach Donna Lee Donna Lee is a bebop jazz standard itself based on the chord changes of the traditional jazz standard "(Back Home Again in) Indiana".[1] It is named after the now-obscure bassist Donna Lee. . ``Well, it was a slow start for Whitney this year but she always kept positive,'' Lee said. ``She also got hit in the throat ... she's just a magnet for bad hops, I think. But basically, she had a great season and played great at second base.'' Lowe wasn't the only family member who visited the hospital this season. Her father suffered a minor heart attack during the fall, followed by an appendectomy Appendectomy Definition Appendectomy is the surgical removal of the appendix. The appendix is a worm-shaped hollow pouch attached to the cecum, the beginning of the large intestine. a few months later. ``All together we've been to the hospital five times since August,'' she said. The good news is the two have recovered, and they figure to have endured enough bad breaks. They're both looking forward to good times ahead. And if Lowe remains healthy for the entire senior season next year, who knows what she can do? She's also a terrific student with a 4.2 GPA GPA abbr. grade point average Noun 1. GPA - a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted . She got straight A's on her report card last semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s , and her schedule included honors pre-calculus, AP U.S. history and AP physics. With Lowe's combination of athletic skill and academic achievement, she figures to be a prime college prospect next season. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , she's looking forward to the summer. She drives a blue BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. and loves hanging out with her teammates such as close friend Breanne Javier, Valencia's third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker . Eventually, Lowe said she wants to go to college and become an engineer. She's off to a good start in that field because she engineered quite a comeback this season. Gerry Gittelson, (661) 257-5218 gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Valencia's Whitney Lowe hit .328 after missing the first six games of the season with finger and eye injuries. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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