She's confined to wheelchair — and now a state champ: 'We're so thankful she's part of this program'
WEST LAFAYETTE – Gordon Wood only manages to get a few words out before stepping aside to take a few deep breaths.
They're meaningful pauses from the Tecumseh softball coach, who's fighting a losing battle with his emotions as he answers a question about team manager Jackie Biehler in the aftermath of the Braves' 2-0 win over Andrean in the Class 2A state championship game.
Wood coached Biehler in Cub ball as a middle schooler, something he does in the fall so the youngsters 'know what to expect from an old grouchy coach and vice versa.'
Biehler broke her neck doing a gymnastics stunt in summer 2021, he explains. It was a severe injury, one which required her to be life-flighted to Norton's Children Hospital in Louisville and left her on a ventilator and feeding tube.
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'She's a very, very talented kid. They didn't think she was going to live. She couldn't hardly breathe,' Wood says, stepping aside once more to collect himself. 'It took a toll on the entire family. It still does.'
Biehler remains on the road to recovery. She's breathing and eating on her own, able to talk and has limited use of her arms and legs, getting around via a motorized wheelchair.
What she has endured these past few years would dampen the light in most people.
Not Jackie Biehler.
'She's had a really great attitude... You won't find a tougher kid,' Wood said, explaining how she first approached him about being an equipment manager before last season and has been a staple in the Tecumseh dugout ever since (she handles the team's walk-up music).
'We love Jackie,' senior Katelyn Marx beamed. 'She shows up with a smile every day. We know she can't do the stuff that we do, but she is a hell of a lot of fun to be around.'
Biehler was there Saturday, of course, proudly seated inside the Tecumseh dugout watching as freshman Audrey Seiler weaved in and out of danger in the circle and Marx, a Miss Softball finalist and the 2A Mental Attitude Award recipient, provided one last signature performance, going 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI double.
"I'm just glad they let me be part of the team," Biehler says as her teammates begin clearing out of the third-base dugout. She played her last season of Cub ball with them in seventh grade and was in the dugout for last year's runner-up finish to Rossville, too.
"It's really exciting to be able to win one. (And) I'm just really excited I get to do it with them."
There never were any questions surrounding Biehler's involvement with the program and her teammates — unsurprisingly — have embraced her, chatting with her during pregame warmups and celebrating with her in the dugout following big plays.
Marx described Biever as a light in the dugout, constantly talking up her teammates and giving them high-fives.
"Like I said, she's fun to be around," Marx said. "We're so thankful that she's part of this program."
Biehler was recognized during the postgame awards ceremony, same as she was last year, with teammate Bianca Lochmueller helping adjust her medal after it was draped around her neck. When it came time for photos, a couple players checked to make sure Biehler had made it over. She did, taking her place alongside the seniors in the front row.
"I enjoy it," Biehler smiled. "I enjoy hanging out with all my friends and doing things I used to love to do, like going to the gym and hanging out at the softball field."
Added Wood: "You can't help but love her."
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