Not the end of her high school career, but something bigger. Sheleman thought her dream of playing Division I softball might be over. Through the darkness, though, she worked toward the light, rehabbed and came back stronger.

Now dream has become reality and Sheleman soon will be a Division I softball player. Sheleman recently signed to play softball at Massachusetts and has turned what felt like a nightmare as a freshman until the kind of run most players dream about.

A two-time all-state selection, Sheleman has put up video-game numbers the past three seasons and has wasted little time making an impact as a senior, hitting .538 with nine RBIs through five games. She also has hit safely in each contest.

“I tell everyone that (ACL injury) was the worst time of my life. It was so hard. It was the worst year of my life and to come back and have the season I did my sophomore year and last year was special,” Sheleman said. “And over the past summer, I continued working hard, so to be able to come back from that means a lot.”

JUSTIN HAKES/Special to the Sun-Gazette Kayleigh Sheleman of Montoursville scores a run during a game recently this season.

Sheleman has meant a lot to Montoursville, topping 80 career hits despite missing that time as a freshman. She also has 85 RBIs and 22 home runs, while playing spectacular defense at third base and helping Montoursville reach the playoffs each season.

The ACL injury was a setback, but Sheleman made a huge comeback.

“When Kayleigh had her injury her freshman year her biggest worry was that it was going to set her back and miss out on opportunities but she can see now that that injury made her stronger,” Montoursville coach Mikayla Arnold said. “She’s going to land exactly where she wants to be and the really awesome thing about this season is that she gets to play without that worry. She knows where she’s going, she knows what’s ahead, so she’s just coming out here to hit a ball hard.”

Sheleman has pretty much done that she first started swinging a bat. A buzz surrounded her before reaching high school and Sheleman has exceeded that hype, becoming one of the state’s premier all-around players.

And while her defense is impressive, Sheleman is feared by most as a hitter. Batting .517 for a career can do that. A year ago, Sheleman put together one of the best seasons in program history, hitting .610 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. No wonder UMass came calling.

“She puts in her work on her own time. She’s always wanted it. She’s always dreamed of the opportunity that she has,” Arnold said. “It’s almost like we all knew she was going to get it, it was just a matter of when, where and how do the pieces fall together.”

Sheleman wondered that herself when the recruiting process started. It was a head-spinning situation at times, but one trip to Amherst and everything felt right.

It’s 324 miles from Montoursville, but the campus felt like home. And, suddenly, the process became a pretty simple one.

“There were a couple of schools I was looking at, but when I went to UMass I knew,” Sheleman said. “They say when you know you just kind of know when you get there. It really was like that when I got there. I just kind of knew that that was where I was meant to play at.”

And that means, Sheleman can fully focus on playing her final year at Montoursville. The Warriors won a share of their first league title of the 2000s last spring and are hoping for more success this season.

Living a dream awaits, but Sheleman and Montoursville would still like to create a dream 2026 season.

“That was definitely my goal. I had it set to try and get that done before my senior year and just have senior year to relax and just focus on playing high school one last time and helping the team,” Sheleman said. “It’s been my dream since I was a little girl. I knew it was going to take a lot of hard work and the work that I’ve put in definitely shows.”

Arnold is one of many who saw where that work may take Sheleman at a young age. She knew Sheleman had the tools to be great. But those could only be sharpened by embracing the grind.

Doing so, even when times were their toughest, has helped Sheleman land at her ultimate destination.

I’ve known Kayleigh for a really long time and from the first time I saw her play, even when she was really young in Little League, you could just tell that she really had something special,” Arnold said. “She’s always been a kid who has excellent, natural fundamentals. She makes adjustments really well and she puts in the work on her own time.

“Kayleigh is a really special kid.”

ANOTHER THRILLER: Montgomery-Bucktail has become quite a Class A rivalry over the last nine seasons with the two combining for five district championships and often battling it out come playoff time, either in the semifinals or championship. Two of the last three playoff games have been decided by one run.

So, it was not surprising that Tuesday’s game featured another exciting, back and forth contest. Montgomery erased an early deficit and held a one-run lead before Kendall Wagner hit a go-ahead, two-run home run which lifted Bucktail to a 5-4 win. It was the second one-run game in the last three between these two who are both league and district title contenders again.

Wagner has been on a tear her first two games, going 6 for 8 with two home runs, a double and seven RBIs. Carrie Ditty threw a four-hitter and struck out six, while Ava Hartman, Arianna Snyder and Jenna Houseknecht held the rest of of Bucktail’s dangerous lineup to two hits.

EXTRA BASES: Montgomery (3-1) bounced back and won its next game, blanking Benton, 21-0 in three innings as Houseknecht Arianna Snyder combined on a one-hitter. Hartman sparked the offense, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs and Zoe Furman smashed her third triple in two games … Hughesville (2-1) also responded well after its first defeat, beating Warrior Run, 11-1. Addison Henninger threw four strong innings of two-hit softball and Maddie Smith struck out all three batters she faced in the fifth inning, adding a triple. Ashlynn Barlett belted a home run and went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Henninger and Kiana Peck also each had two hits and freshman Kenna Fisher doubled for a third straight game … Is there an echo in here? Because Warrior Run makes it three consecutive teams to answer a loss with an emphatic win. The Defenders stormed back from a six-run deficit Saturday against South Williamsport and won, 16-7. Sienna Wise and Maura Woland each drove in six runs and had three hits. Wise homered and Woland doubled twice. Mikaiya Hills had three hits for South … Lewisburg is a young team to keep an eye on and won its first game, rallying past Milton, 4-3. The Green Dragons erased a 2-1 seventh inning deficit as freshmen Morgan Shannon and Tymber Jamieson on a five-hitter with eight strikeouts … Elyna Booth stifled Troy, throwing a three-hitter and striking out an area-high 15 as North Penn-Liberty won, 3-1. Booth has struck out 11 or more in three of her four starts … Wellsboro sophomore Ady Frantz also is dealing. She has handcuffed three of the NTL’s premier Big School teams and struck out 16 in nine innings as Wellsboro split games against Sayre and Towanda … Williamson (4-0) is making early season Class AA noise and thumped previously undefeated Cowanesque Valley, 124-4. Williamson has scored at least 11 runs in its last three wins and Olivia Gee went 3 for 3 with a home run, while Kenna Thomas was 2 for 2 with a homer and three RBIs.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

1. Williamsport (4-0): Williamsport’s Comeback Kids did it again last Tuesday, rallying from four down in the fifth inning and defeating Central Mountain, 8-6. The Millionaires had overcome a six-run, fourth inning deficit in their previous game against Mifflin County and handed Central Mountain its first league loss since last year’s showdown at Millionaire Mountain. Williamsport won each of its first three games in its final at-bat before building an 11-run lead against Danville and winning Thursday’s contest, 11-6. Production is coming throughout the order and sophomore Kinsley Cannode hit her first home run against Danville, going 2 for 2 with two RBIs, two runs and two steals. Brenna Beck and Zaelana Minor also had strong weeks and Williamsport has scored at least six runs in its first four games.

2. Loyalsock (3-1): Today is a great day for games and the fact that the Hughesville-Loyalsock District 4 Class AAA championship rematch is not Game of the Week highlights it. A year ago, these two played a doubleheader thriller at Short Park and both reached states. Loyalsock built momentum for the contest by thumping Bloomsburg, 17-1. Sophia Miller threw a two-hit shutout and struck out eight in five innings, while Easton Waller went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. Lydia Kresock was 2 for 2 and Maddie Williams 2 for 3. Kresock also doubled as did Kinsie Phillips. The Lancers have won eight straight HAC-III games going back to last season.

3. Jersey Shore (4-0): After blowing out its first three opponents, Jersey Shore showed it can win the close ones as well, edging Selinsgrove, 8-7. The game was tied late and Jersey Shore responded well with freshman Maddie Thomas going 2 for 3 with an RBI and sophomore Annika Clark blasting a three-run home run. Lynna Clark threw three strong innings in relief to improve to 3-0 and Jersey Shore reached at least eight runs for a fourth straight game. It has been an exciting start for a team with mostly underclassmen in its starting lineup and the Bulldogs opened their week with a contest against perennial power Bald Eagle Area before preparing to host Williamsport today.

4. Central Mountain (0-1): Central Mountain lost its HAC-I opener a year ago and never lost another regular season game last year, so it certainly is not lamenting last Tuesday’s game. The Wildcats displayed plenty of positives, especially with Aubrey Eeiler building off last year’s big season and going 4 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Cirstyn Watson also could be poised for a strong year and roped two doubles.

5. Montoursville (3-2): Montoursville put together an outstanding performance in a 7-0 win against Hughesville before struggling to get past Southern Columbia, 5-3 and losing at Mifflinburg Saturday. This is a pretty young team, so it’s not shocking that there have been some ups and downs but the Hughesville game showcased what this team can do when it puts everything together. That included Julie Friel throwing a brilliant three-hitter. Friel also closed out the Southern game and had 10 strikeouts at Mifflinburg, giving her 21 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings last week.

Players of the Week — Ashlyn Robinson, Williamsport and Rachel Paulhamus, Muncy: Robinson made her 100th career hit a big one against Central Mountain, smoking a two-run double. The senior has made timely hits like those a staple throughout her outstanding high school career and drove in six runs in Williamsport’s two wins, smashing a home run against Danville. Robinson, who will play alongside teammates Brenna Beck and Emma Vollman at Penn College next year, also earned two pitching wins, throwing five scoreless innings against Danville and striking out eight. Paulhamus is raking early this season and is 7 for 9 in her first three games. She was nearly perfect in two games last week, going 6 for 7 and driving in seven runs. After belting two doubles against Sullivan County, Paulhamus hit her first varsity home run and drove in five runs in an 18-3 win against Sullivan County.

Game of the Week — Williamsport at Jersey Shore: Today’s game is for early sole possession of first place in the HAC-I and is the renewal of a rivalry between two of the area’s most tradition-laden programs. The Millionaires rallied to win last year’s game at Jersey Shore and swept the season series. Both teams played exciting games last week and expect this one to follow suit.