By Steve Svetovich
But through hard work and dedication, Priscilla came back strong to regain her stature as a key member of the Holy Cross softball and tennis teams.
When Holy Cross senior Priscilla Grill broke her left tibia bone in 2020, she knew there would be a long road to recovery.
Daughter of Priscilla and Garth Grill, the talented senior broke her left tibia bone during a softball practice and underwent surgery in September 2020.
She was non-weightbearing for two months and unable to run until January 2021.
She then began training under Jermaine Loughney at New Breed Athletics in Old Forge.
“I not only wanted to come back to normal,” she said, “but I wanted to become faster and stronger.
“I worked really hard and have to credit my trainer as well as family, friends, teammates, and coaches for being supportive.”
Priscilla is a four-year member of both the softball and tennis teams at Holy Cross. She batted .300 for the Lady Crusaders softball team last season.
She has learned a lot from Holy Cross softball coach Joe Ross. “He is a really good coach,” she said. “It is amazing what he does for us. He teaches us to be good people. He always teaches us a life lesson. The latest one is to always be the better person.”
“Sometimes when playing, I get super-stressed. My parents are my constant. They show up and help me relax. They tell me to play the game. They tell me to go out and have fun. When I see them there, it just helps.”
Well-spoken and articulate, Priscilla said her parents taught her a lot.
The hardworking scholar-athlete has a highly impressive 4.17 academic average at Holy Cross. Her best academic subject is science and she is currently taking anatomy. Priscilla is a member of the National Honor Society and Ceramics Club at Holy Cross.
She would like to study to become a physician’s assistant at Marywood University. She also plans on playing softball at Marywood.
Priscilla enjoys listening to music in her spare time and would like to see Shawn Mendez in concert.
She talked about what it takes to be a solid second baseman in high school softball. “You really have to know the game, It is not an easy position like some might think it is. You need to know where the ball is going. You need to relax and not get too tense. You need to be alert, but loose.
“And you need to have a great relationship with your shortstop. I have a great relationship with our shortstop, Carly Wywoda. She is like a sister to me. We trust each other. Carly and I have known each other since we were 12.”
The energetic senior said she has great memories of Holy Cross despite the trials and tribulations of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a little crazy because of COVID,” she said. “It pretty much took away a good part of my sophomore year. We couldn’t even play our softball season that year. Things started to come back to normal my junior year. My senior year has been great, but it is going by much too fast. My freshman year was so great. I wish I could just re-live my freshman year every year of my life.”
Priscilla also plays for the NEPA Adrenaline travel softball team in Tripps Park, Scranton. She has been on the team four years since 2018.
