Injury Recovery Series: 2024 Extra Elite 100 Pitcher Jazmine Chavez Returns to National Championship Team Six Months After Horrific Leg Injury

We at Extra Inning Softball respect and admire the courage shown by many outstanding softball players who battle back from injuries and persevere through recovery and rehab to get back on the field again.

We continue our ongoing Injury Recovery Series with the story of pitcher Jazmine Chavez, a member of Marty Tyson’s Corona Angels since she was 10 years old and an honoree in the 2024 Extra Elite 100.

A talented all-around athlete who is a team leader in hitting home runs and throwing strikeouts with her pitching skills, Jazmine—who also made varsity earlier this year for her Eleanor Roosevelt (Los Angeles, California) High team—suffered a terrible accident in February of this year on the field.

While sliding into second base, her cleat got caught and when she went to pop up her leg was snapped, breaking her tibia, fibula and fracturing her ankle. The then-freshman underwent surgery where doctors put a plate and seven screws into her injured leg.

In early July—less than five months after the injury—her mother, Winter Boone, wrote us saying:

“Jazmine had a very long and painful recovery, but she was just cleared to start walking again. With the help of physical therapy, she took her first steps in three months. Jazmine is determined to get back into the game and is about to start pitching again in hopes of joining the team in Florida for the Alliance National Fastpitch Championship.”

And how did that work out?

Here’s what Jazmine said about her injury, rehab and getting back to playing the sport she loves!

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Do you remember the day of the injury and what happened?
Yes, it was February 13, 2021, and I got hurt at practice when we were doing base running (drills). My cleat got stuck right before I was going to slide and when I came down my foot was in the wrong spot.

What did medical experts tell you initially about coming back? 
I had surgery on February 22, 2021, and they told me that it would be a long recovery and to take it one step at a time.

You not only were able to make it back, you played in the Alliance Nationals this month! Talk about that experience…
Being able to be back and with my teammates was very exciting. I was able to come back to practice and play games the last few weeks of the season. I was nervous going back and worried how my pitching would be, but I missed playing and was eager to get back on the field.

I was also able to go to the Alliance Nationals in Florida with my team and was even able to pitch a little bit. All my teammates did really good, put a lot of heart into it and we were able to win the championship!

Moving forward, I still have a lot to do to get back to where I used to be before my injury, but I’m working very hard and staying hopeful through this process.

What was your hardest moment in getting back on the fields?
The hardest moment for me was realizing how long I would be out and not be able to pitch. Softball has always been a part of my life and being at the field with my team every weekend has always been a normal routine for me, so it was really hard not being able to be there and play.

Sometimes out of our greatest trials come good learning experiences… what did you learn from the experience?
Something I learned from this experience is it’s very easy to create bad habits. When I was finally able to start working out, it was difficult for me and I had to keep myself motivated and focused on what I was able to do while injured.

What advice do you have for other players who experience injuries? 
My advice that I would give to other players with injuries is to focus on recovering. I had received this advice from coaches, friends, and family.

I was very negative at the beginning of my injury and worried about how my performance in softball would be when I returned. I realized that returning fully recovered was more important than being back on the field where I could be at risk of injuring myself further.

Other advice I would give is to try and be outside as much as possible. I had to stay at home for about two months till I could get out a little bit. Once I was able to get out of the house it helped me to be a little more positive. Being away from my softball family and playing has been very difficult, but it is very important to trust the process of your recovery.

If you could pick one word to summarize what you learned, what would it be? 
If I could pick one word to summarize what I learned, it would be “patience.” I wanted to get back into playing but I knew there was nothing I could do about it other than to focus on recovering.

Who were your greatest supporters during your recovery period?
My greatest supporter during my recovery was my mom as she literally had to take care of everything for me including being a shoulder to cry on. My coaches, teammates, family, friends, and doctors also were very supportive.

What did you learn about yourself during this experience? 
I learned that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for. It was very difficult physically and mentally for me, but I was able to get through it.

— Bonnie Eads, Extra Inning Softball