Inside Pitch: 2022 All-American Madison “Pickle” Winkler… “My Minor Surgery That Took a Major Turn!”

Madison “Pickle” Winkler is a sophomore at Christian County High School in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She started playing travel ball at age 6, and currently plays for the Louisville Lady Sluggers 18U team as a middle infielder/outfielder. 

Madison has been recognized in the 2022 Extra Elite Rankings as well as being named a 2nd Team High School All American. “Pickle” has also blogged for us before and explained how she got her unique nickname!

A little more than a year ago, she needed surgery in her wrist and in her first-account details how she injured her wrist and endured the rehab that got her back on the field for a successful 2019 and a very promising 2020!

*****

My 8th grade year, me and five other students had to go over to the high school to take our geometry class since it was a high school course. We had various ways to get there such as a van, a teacher’s car, walking, and my favorite, the golf cart.

One day when we were taking the golf cart, I was sitting in the back, and the person driving the golf cart decided to jump the curb, which threw me off.

At the time, the only thing I thought was wrong was the scrape on my knee and a rip in my favorite pair of jeans, so I went on with my day. That weekend, we had a middle school tournament.

During my first at bat, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. The trainer there wrapped my wrist and I thought all was well. I played the rest of my middle school season with little to no pain, and we thought nothing of it.

But, when we went into off season training, my wrist flared up again. I went to the doctor and they told me nothing was severely wrong and told me to ice it after every work out and practice. I did, but the pain just kept getting worse.

We decided to go back to the doctor, and they gave me my first ever cortisone shot. That got me through high school season with minimal pain, but before summer season, I went back to get another shot. This time, it did more harm than good.

*** Scroll down to read more on Pickle’s surgery and recovery, which led to her having a “major turning point in my game and my mentality for life!

Join Today to Get Unlimited Access to Extra Inning Softball

Join Now

Already a Extra Inning Member? Log In