Playing through pain is nothing new for Candace Rosemeier.

The Edgewood junior battled some knee trouble last fall, and an incident while playing basketball for the Mustangs in winter exacerbated the situation. She suffered a grade one medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain, and had to wear a knee brace.

But Rosemeier soldiered on through basketball and continues to push through the pain during softball season. Edgewood hosts Greencastle Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in The Herald-Times Game of the Week.

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Rosemeier has had wrist and hand problems, shoulder issues, a concussion, and more in the past. Those experiences guided her as she's faced this knee injury.

"I think (having injuries before) was helpful in knowing how to navigate an injury, how to be more selective in the things I'm doing, or adjust things so I'm not hurting myself worse," Rosemeier said. "It's definitely been a challenge. But I've had practice doing it before, so I knew how to make the adjustments I needed."

There wasn't a specific injury that occurred or any specific thing that caused Rosemeier's knee to start hurting in 2021. It just built up gradually, and she noticed it more and more.

She played golf instead of volleyball in the fall, as golf would be less strenuous on her knee (though it still, obviously, requires knee strength). She missed some time in fall softball, went to physical therapy, and did what she needed to do to push through.

Rosemeier continued managing the situation during basketball season. But in Edgewood's game against Linton, it got worse. A couple players landed on her knee while going for a loose ball.

Previously, Rosemeier was just sore all the time. After the Linton game, it hurt more. And that's when she saw the doctor and received the MCL sprain diagnosis.

Rosemeier's father, Ron, thought she should consider sitting out during basketball to let the knee heal for softball. But she didn't want to give up the hardwood — she wanted to keep playing with her friends, some of whom were seniors in their final seasons in high school.

Ron also proposed that Candace sit out of high school softball season so she could recover in time for her summer and fall activities. But she didn't see that as an option.

"In the summer, she's got travel softball, she's got golf practice, and basketball practice. And I'm like, You're gonna live with this for the rest of your high school career if you don't take a break,'" Ron said. "And she's like, 'Well, I'm gonna play high school softball.' So kind of like she did with basketball, she's playing through it."

After Edgewood girls basketball lost during sectionals in February, Rosemeier took about a month-long break to give her body some respite.

When she returned to softball, it was painful to jump right back into pitching and batting and using her knee heavily. Her body adapted, though, and after a few weeks, it felt more like it did before her basketball injury.

But she also discovered an indirect impact of her injury when she returned to the field. — the break left her behind the curve when she started practicing again.

"It really impacted the beginning of my season because I took a break from softball, so I hadn't been pitching and I hadn't been hitting and I wasn't in practice," Rosemeier said. "So at the very beginning of the season, I was having a harder time getting back into it."

She's still affected by that break, just a little less settled in than she normally would be. Rosemeier said she's still trying to get back to the level she pitched at last fall.

But still, she's pushing on.

She takes pain relieving medicine regularly, and wears her brace. It's not easy, and she knows there's always risk of making her knee even worse.

For all the physical challenges Rosemeier's had with her knee, it's created a mental obstacle as well.

"It is (hard), because you have to think about all the things all the things in the future," Rosemeier said. "Maybe I hurt this worse and I affect myself in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, whatever. Do I really want to take that risk for this sport, this game I really like?"

Though Rosemeier has worked through injuries before, wearing a knee brace while playing was a new experience.

She said the first day she sported the brace, she walked with a limp — not because of pain, but because it was uncomfortable having the brace affect her movement. And it wasn't like time helped her adapt. She just never got used to it.

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In basketball, the quick switches from running to shuffling side to side made Rosemeier uncomfortable in the brace. Those different movements contrasted with the brace trying to prevent excessive movement in the knee.

And it's affected softball as well.

"You really are supposed to dig your knee into the ground as you hit the ball. I haven't really been able to get that full bend as well as I used to be able to," Rosemeier said. "So it was an adjustment to try to adjust my swings so I didn't have to bend it as much but still get the same power I normally get."

Rosemeier was named to The Herald-Times All-Area second team as a sophomore last season. She batted .346 with 20 RBIs and eight runs scored, while posting a 2.45 ERA in the circle in 71 1/3 innings.

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Even with the injury, her numbers are up from last season. Her batting average is strong, at .370, and because of her prominent position in the lineup, she's already scored more runs than she did last season. She's posting an .888 OPS, up from .760 last year.

Edgewood head coach Mick Hammett has been careful with Rosemeier's usage, particularly in practice. She's a good fielder, but the team has only used her sparingly in the field when she's not pitching.

Rosemeier's insistence on continuing to play despite the issues speaks to her competitive side. She's active, with year-round softball in addition to her other sports.

And for her, she sees her persistence as a matter of dedication. She knows you have to be dedicated to play through pain the way she is.

She also just wants to be a good teammate. Rosemeier doesn't want to let down her peers who rely on her on the field beside them.

"Honestly, if I didn't think I was good at my sports, I probably wouldn't have continued," Rosemeier said. "But I think I'm good, and I obviously wanted to be the best for my team that I can be. If I could help in any way I wanted to help. I wanted to do well for everyone else."

Linton-Stockton at Bloomington South, 5:30 p.m.

Edgewood at Northview, 5 p.m.

White River Valley at Eastern Greene, 5:15 p.m.

Bloomington North at Center Grove, 6 p.m.

Seymour at Bloomington South, 5:30 p.m.

Bloomington North at Northview, 6 p.m.

Eastern Greene at Linton-Stockton, 6 p.m.

Bedford North Lawrence at Bloomington North, 5:30 p.m.

Hobart at Bloomington South, 2 p.m. (doubleheader)

Follow Herald-Times sports reporter Seth Tow on Twitter @SethTow, or email him at stow@heraldt