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We’re just two weeks away from the start of the 2027 Extra Elite 100 rankings but one player in that class whom everyone should be rooting for is Amanda “Mandi” Redmiles, a right-handed pitcher for the PA Chaos 14U National Team.
Early last year—in the initial 2027 ratings—Mandi was ranked No. 131 overall and continued to impress with strong first half of 2022 that saw her use her near 60-mph fastball heat, complemented by a change-up and effective spins, to win 11 games—seven of them shutouts and two no-hitters—as she had 101 K’s in 87 innings.
However, Amanda’s season was horrifically cut short on July 1st when she was involved in a terrible ATV accident that caused seriously traumatic injuries to her left arm and hand.
She spent the following three weeks in the hospital where she underwent six surgeries to repair the extensive damage she suffered.
However, despite the terrible setbacks and time lost on the field, Mandi has continued her ongoing occupational therapy for the injuries and has been able to make her way back into the gym to start training again.
And, amazingly, she has returned to pitching lessons with her Tincher Pitching instructor Shelly Farris who marvels at her student’s determination and tenacity to once again step into the circle and help her teams win.
“Amanda is determined and will not let anything get in her way,” Coach Farris begins. “She works hard at both the physical and mental part of the game and wants nothing more than to return to the circle. Amanda has taught us what it means to fall down, get up and work even harder. She is a true champion!”
Mandi has a long road to recovery but if anyone can do it, she can.
All around her have been impressed with her extraordinary work ethic and tireless dedication to her therapy and training while maintaining her honor roll status with a 4.0 GPA.
Amanda was also invited to the 2023 Select 30 National Training Camp and Coach Farris raves that her young pitching student has the drive to come back stronger and even better.
“This kid has fallen,” she concludes, “but she keeps getting back up.”
“Amanda is relentless!”
*****
The following story was originally published Nov. 2, 2022, on the Tincher Pitching Facebook page and, with permission from its author, Denny Tincher, we print here to show the resilience a determined athlete like Amanda can have to live her dreams, not matter what obstacles are in her way…
… and be sure to got to the end of the article to get an update on how Mandi is doing today!
Softball can be taken away from you so fast.
Nobody knows that better than Mandi Redmiles, one of our 8th grade students from Maryland.
In early July, Mandi was riding an ATV when it flipped violently. Her left arm took the brunt of the crash, crushing bones, severing an artery, and doing severe tendon damage.
Her friends called 911.
When she got into the ambulance, she called her father, Pete. Her first words were that she was sorry that she would be unable to play softball the next day.
At the hospital, the concern was far more serious. The question was whether they could even save the arm. If that were possible, how much function could she regain?
The first surgery was very involved. It was a difficult and detailed process, but it gave them hope that the arm could be saved.
But that was just the beginning.
Mandi has endured five more operations since then. Range of motion is the big question. Pete said the hope is that she will eventually be able to do normal things like tying her shoes or fixing her hair.
There are many questions:
- Will the bones be able to re-join where fractured?
- Can they do a successful graft in the ulnar area where bone was completely lost?
- How much muscle was lost?
- Can tendons find a way to function in new ways?
She even needed skin grafts where so much was lost on the forearm.
When her Certified Instructor, Shelly Farris, called me to do a pitching clinic in late August, Mandi wanted to come and watch. With her left arm completely bound and protected, I saw no harm in asking her to step forward and demonstrate a specific drill.
There was hesitation. There was doubt. We held our breath.
Mandi picked up a softball and slowly went through the motion. Then, again, more quickly.
Encouraged, she joined the clinic, doing most of the things the other students were doing, while someone rolled the ball back to her.
I didn’t look around because I knew there were tears in the eyes of some people in the room. Pete told me that her travel ball coach said it “gave him chills.”
Mandi said that it gave her hope.
*** Here is a brief video clip of that amazing experience:
We are still far from thinking about returning to the mound. The left arm must gain a lot of mobility for safety reasons, to enable her to play defense, or just be able to close her hand to catch a return throw from the catcher.
Doctors are hopeful that she will show enough progress for a major surgery that could be a big turning point.
Meanwhile, Mandi is in Occupational Therapy, going to the gym, and taking it day by day, still working with Shelly Farris in hopes of someday making a return to the mound.
Shelly sums it up this way, “She’s determined!”
If it is possible, she will be back. Our instructors will pull for her, even pray for her, but mostly we will stand in admiration and learn much from a kid who comes to learn from us.
— Denny Tincher
Tincher Training
Nov. 9, 2022
*****
And here’s the wonderful update as of today, March 13, 2023, from Mandi’s father, Pete Redmiles…
In December 2022—right before Christmas—Mandi had her seventh surgery.
This surgery was a bone graft to fill the one-and-a-half-inch gap in her ulna bone. The surgeon took a piece of bone from her pelvis and transferred it to the gap in the ulna.
Modern medicine is pretty amazing!
Mandi was able to return to occupational therapy the week after the surgery; however, the recovery from that surgery was about a month and a half.
Last month (February), Mandi went for a follow-up x-ray, and we got some great news: the ulna bone is healing. We were able to breathe a sigh of relief! It was time to get back to work. Mandi continues to make strides at occupational therapy with her amazing hand therapist who has gone above and beyond to help get her back on the field.
Also, Mandi has returned to training and pitching… here’s a picture of her lifting, even with her heavy arm brace:
She was recently cleared to pitch without her brace. In the picture I attached of Mandi pitching you’ll notice she’s wearing an arm sleeve to cover the scars from the injuries—she’s just not ready to let people see the scars.
Mandi has also just recently been able to put a glove on her hand for the first time in over eight months and was cleared to play some catch as a therapy exercise (at a short distance only, at this point).
For her, I think playing catch felt like business as usual, but, for me, it was a bit emotional as we haven’t been able to do that for quite some time.
Mandi has really handled all of this (both physically and emotionally) very well and with a level of maturity far beyond her years.
Softball has been such a huge part of Mandi’s life since she was nine years old, but, in the blink of an eye, it was taken away.
She’s always loved the game but sometimes we still don’t know how much we love truly something until it’s gone. I asked Mandi what she misses the most and she said:
“I miss 24/7 softball. I miss being with my teammates and traveling to tournaments. I miss playing in front of a crowd of people.”
“I work really hard and I can’t show people right now what all my hard work looks like in a game…. I just miss it.”
The road to recovery is a long one, but for Mandi, the softball field is her home away from home. Her love for this game is her motivation and she’s working tirelessly to get back to it.
My wife and I are beyond proud of Mandi’s resilience in the face of adversity.
I do hope Mandi’s story reaches others that may be going through something similar and maybe helps them push forward.