George Washington University Athletics
‘Don’t Call it a Comeback’
5/7/2019 9:30:00 AM | Softball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Linquist has thrived in return to diamond following knee surgery
The bouncy beat of LL Cool J's 1990 hit Mama Said Knock You Out pours out of the GW Softball Field speakers on Jessica Linquist's walk to home plate.
As the junior catcher digs into the left-handed batter's box to lead off the bottom of the first, the music fades.
No matter. The rest of the Colonials are ready to help from the dugout.
"Don't call it a comeback," they sing. "She's been here for years."
Linquist's walk-up song has provided a fitting soundtrack to a sensational season.
A year removed from her second major knee surgery, Linquist is playing the best softball of her career.
Linquist has stoked the Colonials from the leadoff spot by reaching base nearly half the time. Heading into this week's Atlantic 10 Championship, the New Jersey native has posted career highs in every offensive category, including batting average (.389), extra-base hits (28), runs (59), RBIs (41) and walks (37).
She's shown remarkable consistency, highlighted by a 28-game hitting streak that was the nation's longest in almost five years and a 38-game on-base streak that also set a program record.
Linquist is quick to spread the credit for her remarkable bounceback campaign. The bit of Colonials karaoke before her home at-bats is just another example of the support that's fueled her along the way.
"I can't thank them enough," Linquist said. "It's easy for me to handle the physical barriers of recovery, but I couldn't have handled the mental side of it without our trainer, our strength and conditioning coaches, our new coaches and my teammates."
Linquist faced a long road back after injuring her left knee sliding into second base on a steal on March 24, 2018, during GW's opening A-10 series against St. Bonaventure.
While the Colonials were making their A-10 Championship push, Linquist was coming to grips with an unexpected end to her season. She did what she could to stay involved, whether that was charting pitches in the dugout or sitting in on video sessions, while the rest of the Colonials did all they could to boost the spirits of a teammate they lovingly call "Mom" because of the way she cares for them.
Linquist had surgery to repair a torn ACL and torn meniscus in early April 2018. As she dove into rehabilitation, it helped that she'd been through a similar surgery on her right knee as a freshman in high school.
"Everything felt the same as last time," Linquist said. "You hit a new mark and things start to get tough, but you just keep going, keep pushing through and it gets easier."
After a full summer of physical therapy, Linquist returned to GW ready to for the next step.
Having Linquist back on the field and in the weight room – even in a limited capacity at first – provided a lift for everyone in the program.
"She's just insanely hard-working and dedicated," classmate Jenna Cone said. "She just puts her head down and gets the work done. In everything she does, she keeps her goals in perspective, and all of her actions lead up to her goals. It's an amazing thing to see."
Right away, Linquist's blue-collar approach impressed head coach Shane Winkler, but as she edged towards full strength late in the fall, GW's new leader started to realize how good she could be.
A 2017 A-10 All-Rookie pick, Linquist had proven a valuable contributor for the Colonials in a utility role, seeing time at catcher, outfield and first base.
Under Winkler's guidance, Linquist has found a home behind the plate and changed her swing to unlock her offensive potential. After being more of a slap hitter with a total of four extra-base hits over her first two seasons, she focused on using her legs to drive the ball to all fields.
"It's hard to explain how great this coaching staff is," Linquist said. "I've played for a lot of great coaches, but these coaches feel like the best fit for our program.
"They've helped me so much. At first, it was tweaking here and there with what I could do. Then by the time I was fully cleared, it felt like we were able to put all the pieces together."
Still, Linquist was surprised when Winkler approached her in the days before the season-opening tournament at Gardner-Webb and told her she'd be hitting second. She'd never hit in the top of the order for the Colonials before.
Linquist rewarded his confidence by going 6-for-14 over the first five games of the season with four extra-base hits, including the first two home runs of her career. She was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after tallying eight RBIs and five runs scored.
"I have high standards for myself," Linquist said, "but to do it right off the bat like that, it was kind of like 'Whoa alright, I'm back.'"
Soon, Linquist moved into the leadoff spot, bringing a rare combination of power and on-base ability to the top of the GW's nationally-ranked offense. She's expertly balanced working counts and picking her spots to stay aggressive hitting ahead of Cone (.395, 19 HR, 63 RBIs) and Sierra Lange (.429, 20 extra-base hits).
Linquist showcased her continued progress during her record hitting streak, which began with a March 3 win vs. UNC Greensboro before ending April 13 at UMass. Over the 28-game run, she totaled 35 hits and a .509 on-base percentage.
Linquist's season totals jump off the stat sheet: Her 59 runs scored are an A-10 best and already 10 more than the previous program record, and she also ranks among the top 10 in the conference in batting average, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs.
"Jess doesn't beat herself at the plate," Winkler said. "She takes swings that matter, so when she hits the ball, she hits it hard. There's a lot of players that try to find a hole. She creates her own holes by coming up and attacking the ball with a purpose."
Throughout the season, the rap stylings of LL Cool J have provided a reminder of all the work it's taken Linquist to get there.
Mama Said Knock You Out seemed like the perfect choice to replace LMFAO's Get Crazy as her walk-up song at the Vern this spring. It was part of a playlist she'd made for motivation after her first knee surgery, and "Don't Call It a Comeback" became a familiar catchphrase in the weight room last fall.
The A-10 Championship is set to feature personalized walk-up songs, so the Colonials will get to bring their sing-along to UMass' Sortino Field as they chase more history. Not that Linquist needs any more reason to be excited about her first chance to play at the conference tournament.
"I know we're all really ready," Linquist said. "We're going to go one game at a time and do absolutely anything that it takes to be the first team at GW to win the A-10 Championship."
Players Mentioned
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NFCA All-American Sierra Lange
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