High School Player Spotlight: Illinois Junior Shayne Immke Rebounds from Nasty Concussion to Continue Amazing Year-Plus Hitting Streak

Last night (Thursday, May 12, 2022), Shayne Immke—a junior shortstop for St. Joseph-Odgen High in Joseph, Illinois—went 2-for-4 with a single and grand slam.

Pretty good night for the athlete who has put together an impressive streak of “pretty good nights.”

Shayne now has collected a hit in 49 straight games going back to April 30, 2021 when the batting display started. She finished her then sophomore season with 25 games without an 0-fer” and has gone 24 games this season with getting on base at least once with a hit.

During the impressive run, she has gone 113-for-168 for a .673 batting average and has smacked 25 home runs, 16 triples and 18 doubles so it’s not like she’s dinking and dunking her way onto base.

And, believe it or not, her impressive 2-for-4 night actually dropped her batting average down .04 points as it was previously .677!

Greg Immke, the father of the prodigious hitter, says Shayne and her family all appreciate how special the last year has been.

“It’s amazing to think about because a walk, sac fly or even a hard line out and it could be over. There’s been lots of luck involved.”

During the initial games of the streak last season, Shayne was selected as the Extra Inning Softball National High School Player of the Week on June 2, 2021 when she batted 10-for-13 at the plate with two home runs, a pair of triples and doubles, eight runs scored, 10 RBIs and five steals.

And that was following the week before when the Midwest high schooler hit 15-for-16 with six home runs including a grand slam, 12 RBIs and had 13 runs scored.

Shayne presents a true dilemma for the opposition: batting leadoff, you can’t pitch around her as a walk can turn into a speed-aided “triple” really quickly. Give her too much of the plate and, well, the numbers speak for themselves.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing, however; there was a nasty bump in the road this season as Shayne suffered a concussion at home plate on a play on April 16 when a hard tag play at home saw the catcher nail her in the jaw and face area giving her a concussion that forced her to miss 10 games while going through concussion protocols with her doctor and the school trainer.

Shayne subsequently had to endure painful headaches and was sleeping 16 hours a day the first week.

Her father explains that, even though Shayne wanted to get back to help her team out, she was told that her health was the most important thing and rushing back would be the worst possible thing they could do.

“With all the information we have now on concussions,” Greg says, “it was imperative that she take whatever time was needed for her to feel better and be 100 percent before starting back up.”

Shayne tried to go to school a couple of days the next week and only made it an hour or two each time before the noise, lights and efforts to read and use her computer made the headaches even stronger.

It was a process of trial and error, but once she felt good enough to suit up and take the field, Shayne hasn’t looked back.

In her first two games in her return, she went 6-for-7 with a home run, two triples, a pair of doubles and a single and, in total, since retaking her spot in the lineup, the junior has gone 16-for-24 (.667 average) with five home runs.

“I was nervous and anxious coming back after my concussion,” Shayne admits. “I never gave the hitting streak a thought, because you can hit the ball hard four straight times and go 0-for-4.”

“I’m very fortunate for all the hits and the hitting streak but it is not any type of goal for me,” the hitter continues. “I want to go out and play hard and help my team win each game.  The main thing is to have fun and be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

Not surprisingly, the athlete’s skills apply to other sports and Shayne has been a standout for her high school volleyball team as well.

Her prep volleyball coach, Abby McDonald, believes her skills on the court mirror the on-field tools both physical and mentally.

“Shayne is a successful athlete and volleyball player because she outworks her opponents and never settles for mediocrity,” the head volleyball coach believes. “She has the natural ability and leadership skills to comprehend that her contributions to the team don’t have to reflect perfection. Her valuable role of modeling how to overcome adversity and failure are what set her apart from the average high school athlete.”

The coach adds that multiple-sport standout has been willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.

“Shayne has been a member of our varsity program since she was a freshman,” Coach McDonald continues. “She has embraced every role given: from mimicking our opponents in practice, to quickly becoming a part of our starting line-up. No matter what her role has been, she has always put her team first in order to ensure success. Shayne is a great athlete and an even better kid. It’s been a privilege to be a small part of her athletic journey.”

What’s also been very helpful, Shayne says, is a hitting facility her father built at home a few years ago which the family calls the “The Shed.” Greg Immke gives hitting instructions to students and also has overseen his daughter’s development and, more recently, her need to be healthy to get back into the batter’s box.

“Dad told me that we had to have a minimum of four sessions in before I could play in a game after the concussion protocols,” Shayne recalls. “The first session after hitting off the tee we were doing some front toss drills to see where I was at and after the third pitch I was so frustrated and anxious it was very overwhelming.”

“Dad told me to relax, that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ He is very patient in the cages with me and all his students and it put me at ease. I realized it was a process and I needed to take some baby steps.”

Those baby steps have gotten bigger and bigger and the athlete, who has played for the Peoria Sluggers travel ball organization previously but is now taking a break from club ball to “relax, have fun and just be a kid,” per her father.

“The unneeded pressure of college recruiting has paid off (with the break from club play),” Greg believes. “Shayne is laughing and having fun. After all it is just a game.”

The youngest of five siblings, Shayne is “all in” according to her dad and is adept at making adjustments needed “during a lesson or even in-game during an at-bat.”

“She has heard me give instruction for years and has evolved over the years. Shayne just has a great mindset for an athlete.”

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball