Prescott’s goals and expectations for the 2023 season may be significantly altered based on one player’s decision regarding a season-ending surgery that is slated to be made before April 24.

All-State senior ace pitcher Taylor Graf, who was not expected to pitch this season because of a bone growth in her hip that will require surgery, has instead played the first month of the year pain-free and now approaches a decision that will alter the Cardinals’ 2023 campaign.

“I think we’re going to play it out this week and see how I feel,” Graf said on April 11. “I might get it done on the 24th because that’s when (the surgery) is scheduled for, or I could get it done in June. I’ll be out for six months after it’s done.”

Through the first week of games, Prescott has an unblemished 3-0 record, in large part because of Graf’s dynamic pitching. The senior ace has pitched in all three games, two of which were starts, and has yet to allow an earned run in 19 ⅓ innings of work.

For Prescott head coach Nick Johnson, it’s no secret the Cardinals’ ceiling is much higher when Graf is on the field, especially in the circle pitching.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, with her out there the expectations are different,” Johnson said. “We feel confident with anyone out there, but come on, she’s one of the top pitchers in the state. She’s been great and we’re hoping she continues to stay healthy.”

According to Graf, she got injured the day after Thanksgiving while pitching on a turf field in an offseason tournament. During her outing, she noticed a sharp stabbing pain in her hip after delivering a pitch. 

Despite rest and their best at-home remedies, the pain persisted, which prompted a visit to the doctor. The medical personnel referred Graf to a hip specialist at the University of Minnesota, where they performed an MRI to get a better look at what was causing her pain.

“The specialist thinks that it was a groin pull that was causing me pain and that this bone growth has been there for a while,” Graf said. “So they don’t think it was the growth, but they also don’t know if it’s going to get worse or not if we play. It’s kind of scary, but that’s OK. I’m feeling good right now.”

Whether the bone growth caused Graf’s pain or not, it doesn’t change the fact that she needs surgery to repair her hip. Graf remains in good spirits and pain-free as of Thursday, April 13.

Graf’s absence of pain allowed her to pitch in the Cardinals’ season-opening non-conference game at home against Grantsburg on Monday, April 10. It was her first official start since suffering the hip injury in November.

Graf’s first start in approximately five months was against a Pirates team that went into Prescott with a 3-0 record and as the defending Division 4 state champions, which is perhaps a testament to the confidence that Johnson has in his ace pitcher.

In that contest, Graf didn’t surrender a run, struck out five batters and pitched all seven innings in Prescott’s 7-1 victory.

The following day, Graf pitched the latter half of a back-to-back at home against Somerset in the first Middle Border Conference game of the season. Although sophomore Gabbi Matzek started the game, she pitched just one and one-third innings before Graf began her relief appearance.

The senior ace allowed just three hits, zero earned runs and struck out seven batters in her five and one-third innings of work. Graf and Matzek propelled the Cardinals to a 6-1 victory, their second of the season and first in conference play.

“I’m very pleased with how it has gone,” Johnson said of the first two games. “I think we’re in a great spot. Sure, there are areas where we need to get better, but the promise of this team is exciting. It should be a fun year.”

Prescott completed its season sweep of Somerset with a 4-0 victory on the road on Thursday, April 13. Graf did the heavy lifting again, as she struck out nine Spartan batters en route to a complete-game shutout victory. With the win, Prescott improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in Middle Border Conference action.

Despite having several new faces in the field, Prescott has been defensively stout to start the year. Coach Johnson assessed what he has seen from his team’s defense through the first three games.

“Our defense has been outstanding,” Johnson said. “We’re making every play, our pitching has looked great and Taylor (Graf) has looked fantastic already. Defensively we’ve had some hiccups, but we’ve had one practice outside, so it’s been very promising so far.”

Prescott is back in action at home against Altoona on Tuesday, April 18. The first pitch for that contest is slated for 5 p.m.