When we drafted the All-Summer team article earlier this week, one pitcher that was considered was Kaylee Carlson, who helped Team Mizuno-Stith (TMS) make it to the PGF 18U Premier National Championship game. 

She was dominant at times over the week including leading Mizuno to four of the five wins on Friday, July 25 in the loser’s bracket to even make it to the title match, but we also weighed the game the night before where Mizuno lost 11-9 and Carlson struggled.

However, we learned this week there was a reason behind the off game—she had a health issue that few knew about, even her coaches at the time.

Here’s what came to light this week for us (sources shall remain unnamed!)…

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Carlson, a 16-year-old senior at Pacifica High in Garden Grove, Calif. and a commitment to North Carolina, helped lead her high school team to the semi-finals with a 19-1 record and a 0.68 ERA despite battling tendonitis throughout the spring.

She was forced to become the go-to pitcher for Team Mizuno-Stith when pitcher Kaley Winegarner suffered a knee injury in March.

During the summer, Carlson helped pitch TMS to two tourney championship victories and was stellar in her pitching.

At the Team New Jersey Summer Classic, she had a perfect 5-0 record with wins over The Birmingham Thunderbolts, Rhode Islander Thunder, Lower South Liberty, Team Mizuno 16U Megee and won the championship with a 4-0 shutout over the NC Lady Lightening.

Directly after winning the title in New Jersey, the team headed to Boulder, Col. for the Independence Day Tournament where Carlson posted another 5-0 record with wins over the KC Peppers, Texas Blaze, Tulsa Shootouts, a 4-1 win over The Beverly Bandits in the semi-finals and a 9-0 shutout over the San Jose Sting to win the tourney.

Before the PGF 18U Premier loss to Texas Glory on Thursday, July 24, the TMS starter was 3-0 with wins over the East Cobb Bullets, Newtown Rock and Birmingham Thunderbolts (again) in pool and bracket play.

Here’s where the medical issue comes in that few knew about at the time.

On Thursday morning, Carlson woke up with one eye almost completely swollen shut due, doctors believe, to a severe allergic reaction to something, perhaps a bug bite.  After spending the morning getting medical evaluations and receiving a large dose of allergy medicine that effectively knocked her out, she went to the game against a strong hitting Texas Glory Shelton team and looked to be able to rest as she started the game on the bench.

Another TMS pitcher gave up three runs in the first inning, however, and was pulled with no outs recorded.  Carlson was brought in and with her eye problem and on medication struggled and gave up an uncharacteristic seven earned runs in the slugfest that put TMS in the unenviable position of having to win five games the day before the championship… which they surprisingly did.

Trying to tough it out and not make an issue of her situation, we were told Coach Mike Stith and his staff didn’t know about the eye problem until after the tournament—although many of the players were aware.

On Friday, with her eye still swollen, but no longer on any medication, Carlson pitched her team through 26-plus innings of winning softball, with victories over powerhouses like the Firecrackers-Rico (she came into the game in the third inning, pitching 4.1 innings of one-run ball), the Beverly Bandits and back-to-back wins over the OC Batbusters, including a three-hit shutout that forced the “If” game which ended up being an eight-inning ITB victory.

Having thrown over 450 pitches on Friday, Carlson was spent—exhausted and sore with her tendinitis acting up—but she was able to throw 64-65 mph up until the fourth inning, when her good friend and Pacifica teammate, Faith Canfield of the SoCal A’s, hit a pitch over the fence for a two-run homer. One batter later, Carlson was replaced and her week was over.

Still, looking at the whole year’s body of work and understanding the physical ailments that hit her in both high school and club ball, it makes Carlon’s performances that much more impressive.  Look for the Team Mizuno-Stith player to be back on her game as one of the top pitchers in the nation to watch in 2014.