Addison’s odyssey from knee injury to college student-athlete

Addison and her family recently celebrated “signing day,” when she committed to playing softball at Marietta College.

Addison Lahmers plays 3 sports for Ridgewood High School in West Lafayette, Ohio. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in September 2022, and she worked hard to recover. As her memorable senior year of high school comes to an end, she’s excited to continue playing softball at Marietta College.

Addison’s senior year

Some kids may take it easy in their last year of high school, but not Addison! Academically, she’s in the top 5% of her class. She created her school’s first crochet club, and it’s currently the biggest club at her school. “Her artificial intelligence class of 7 students was selected for a trip to Washington, D.C. to present their project to leaders in education,” her mom, Jodi, shared. “It was a fun and rewarding experience for Addison and her classmates.”

Addison played volleyball in the fall of 2025. She currently throws the discus for the track team when her softball schedule allows.

She continues to shine on the softball field. Her team is 17-4 and ranked eighth in the state for Division V. “She reached her goal of 400 strikeouts for her career – and she’s super close to her new goal of 500 career strikeouts,” Jodi said. “It’s impressive she’s done this in 3 seasons, losing one year because of the knee injury. She also bats fifth in the lineup and is hitting .377.”

Among Addison’s proudest moments is striking out 21 batters in the district championship game this season. “We won the first softball district championship in school history,” she shared. “That’s a great achievement for our team, coaches and families.”

Since her recovery from the torn ACL, Addison’s knee feels great. She doesn’t need to do any special pregame warmups; her only routine is to drink chocolate milk before every game. She only ices her knee if her team plays multiple games in one day.

Addison surpassed her goal of 400 career strikeouts and hopes to make it to 500.

Making college and career plans

Addison has been accepted into the honors program at Marietta College, as well as the McDonough Leadership Program. She earned the Charles Sumner Harrison Scholarship that will pay her full tuition.

“I’ve had a lot of communication and positive interactions with Jenn Castle, the Marietta head softball coach. It feels like I’ll be a great fit for the program,” she said. “I also like that Marietta is close – less than 90 minutes away from home – so my family can come to my games.”

Addison wants to become a sports psychologist, a choice influenced by her ACL injury. “I want to let kids know they’ll be even stronger and have a healthier perspective on performance,” she explained. “They’ll meet some pretty amazing people along the road to recovery – people who will root for them to succeed.”

Thankful for the Akron Children’s team

Jodi remains grateful to the pediatric experts who helped Addison get back to the sports she loves. “Dr. John Polousky, physical therapist Chris Liatti and the entire care team were absolutely incredible,” she recalled. “They truly made her feel like she was their only patient, stressing both the physical and mental aspects of her injury.

“Chris gave her such amazing, individualized support. He made sure she was 100% able to perform one activity before moving to the next,” Jodi continued. “When she ‘graduated’ from physical therapy, he even sent videos of exercises she could do at home.”

Addison leaves a legacy of academic and athletic success at Ridgewood High School.

A bright future

Addison looks forward to kicking off the summer with her graduation party. “I’m excited to have everyone who supported me over the years in one place,” she said. “Then I’ll dedicate the summer to getting ready for college. I’m thrilled to continue my education and softball career – and it will be fun to meet new people.”