The Maverick softball team has had a hot start to RMAC play in the 2024 season. Ally Distler, the redshirt junior from Littleton, Colo. who is making a return from injury, is a big reason for the great early season showings from the team.

Distler already has a career that any athlete would be proud of. In high school, she amassed two first-team all state honors, along with earning MaxPreps/National Fastpitch Coaches Association national player of the week in late October 2019. 

When she joined the softball team at Colorado Mesa University (CMU), she picked up another award, earning RMAC second team all conference in her first season as a Maverick. 

Distler then decided to fill up the trophy case on and off the field. Following her freshman performance, she earned an All-Region designation, RMAC Player of the Year, RMAC first team all-academic and second team academic all-American. 

However, after her sophomore season that put her on the map both regionally and nationally, she experienced a labrum tear in her hips. Injuries are always tough to mentally overcome, and this was especially the case for Distler. She could have tried to play through it and endanger her long-term health or miss an entire season to recover. Ultimately, Distler chose the latter.

“It was tough for me because it kinda came down to the decision I had to make, whether I was going to try and play through it and let my performance suffer, or take a year off and let the next girl up play, and that’s what I ended up doing,” said Distler.

During Distler’s season out of the game, the Mavericks had a down year, losing 19 more games than the year prior, but were still able to finish strong as the runners-up in the conference championship game. 

Now returning for her redshirt junior season, Head Coach Mercedes Bohte has already seen the impact Distler’s return has had on the team. She also says that the rest of the coaches around the RMAC have taken note as well.

“Ally [Distler’s] just a great player, and it’s really great to have her back, and everybody else in the conference notices it too. I’ve gotten a lot of comments from other coaches saying ‘Ya, Ally’s back, your team’s that much stronger this year’,” said Bohte.

Distler has had a great season at the plate early this season, as she’s hitting at .373, along with a .426 OBP.  But even more impressive is the number of positions she can play at a high level as she’s spent time at catcher, left field, third base and as a DP. Her utility allows her to see the game in a different way and get an edge on her opponents.

“Understanding where I’m playing as an outfielder on certain girls, I know what the outfielder is thinking when I’m up to hit, where they might be playing me, and to find a gap and find a pitch to hit,” said Distler.

In addition to her prowess from the batter’s box, she’s also been dominant in defensive Distler has mainly played catcher, and she currently holds a .942 fielding percentage, and has caught four runners stealing when behind home plate. She has also started at third base and left field, making great plays at both positions. As a freshman, Distler even played some shortstop.

“She’s definitely a game changer to have her in the lineup, she’s just great to have out there, she was even an impact player when she wasn’t playing, helping lead people in the dugout, helping our pitchers out and helping everyone else out,” said Bohte.

Resilience is nothing new for Distler, as she even played baseball up until her freshman year of high school, so she was ready to take on the challenge of returning from injury head-on.

“Of course I was anticipating this, I mean, I’ve been off for a year and a half now since I last played the game, it was a lot of hard work, a long road to recovery.  I knew I had to come out hot, so there was no struggle at the beginning,” said Distler.

With Distler being redshirted last year, she’ll still have an opportunity to compete for the Mavericks again next year.

“That’s to be determined, we’ll see what goes on after this season,” said Distler.

Distler’s Mavericks now gear up for just their second home stretch of the 2024 season, as Adams State University comes to Grand Junction for back-to-back doubleheaders this weekend.