A few short months ago, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Liv Woolman thought her junior softball season ended before it even started.

She underwent shoulder surgery in December, and if she was to return to the lineup at all, it likely wouldn’t have been until the very end of the season.

But after months of rest and rehab, she was medically cleared well ahead of schedule on Friday morning, and hours later found herself in the batter’s box.

With Bradley-Bourbonnais leading SouthWest Suburban Conference opponent Andrew by eight runs in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded and nobody out, head coach Haylee Austell called Woolman out of the dugout to pinch-hit.

She delivered, lining a two-run single on her first swing of the season to give the Boilermakers (13-4, 2-3 SWSC) a 10-0 conference win.

“I felt great being back,” she said. “I just really wanted to get back out here with my teammates and have some fun. I knew, stepping into the box for that at-bat, that I really just wanted to do something for my team. I was really happy to be back out here.”

The Boilermakers got the scoring started in the second inning Friday, with an RBI double from Kylie Stanek, RBI singles from Evi McIntyre and Bristol Schriefer and a bases-loaded walk taken by Elise Munsterman, putting them up 4-0.

In the third, Leila Middlebrook drilled a two-run home run and Shannon Lee later scored on a wild pitch to bring the score to 7-0. The Boilermakers got one more in the fourth on an RBI double from Alayna Sykes.

McIntyre doubled, Lee walked and Schriefer singled to open the fifth to set the stage for Woolman, who took a ball and then sent the 1-0 pitch into right field.

After Woolman posted the fifth-best OPS on the team last season, Austell had to face the possibility that the team would be without a key member of this year’s large junior class.

Having Woolman’s bat back earlier than expected is certainly a nice surprise.

“As coach, you plan for the worst-case scenario, so going into the year we planned for no Liv Woolman period,” Austell said. “As the year went on, we thought maybe regionals, maybe the last week or two of the season, all that jazz. But she’s worked really hard, and is a great teammate.

“...It’s fantastic to see her kind of have her moment after working so hard to get back.”

Many of Woolman’s fellow juniors, and a few sophomores, have now had 16 games to adjust to new roles this season.

The only position player back in a spot she played every day last season is the junior shortstop Lee, while senior star Lydia Hammond is steady as ever as the team’s ace.

Hammond allowed just two hits over five innings Friday, striking out six, just two days after she threw six two-hit innings with 11 Ks in an 8-0 SWSC win over Homewood-Flossmoor.

Hammond said she’s seen her teammates really thrive in their new roles.

“A lot of people have had to step up this year, and they’ve done a great job doing so,” she said. “Everybody really has a different role, and everyone has done a good job understanding that there’s going to be a different part for them to play. That’s something that’s been super important and has made us successful.”

Whether it’s Sykes taking over behind the plate, Schriefer sliding over from right field to center or Middlebrook settling in for her first full season at first base, Austell said she’s seen her returning juniors set a great example while newcomers like the sophomore Munsterman, who has taken over for Woolman at second base so far, are really starting to find their footing.

“You look at our lineup and see a lot of juniors and think, ‘oh they’re pretty old,’ but outside of Lydia we only have one returner in the exact same spot as last year,” Austell said. “We have a lot of fresh kids that have come up that have really come into their own in the last week or two, and we’ve started to see them play more confidently.

“That’s been really great to see, and it’s only going to pay off come the end of the year.”