A Familiar Face Returns to the Plate

Senior Aaron Siegel back from an injury

Abington+senior+Aaron+Siegel+at+bat+for+the+Green+Wave+in+May+of+2021.

Bill Marquardt, with permission

Abington senior Aaron Siegel at bat for the Green Wave in May of 2021.

Glenn LaPointe, Contributor

Abington High School senior Aaron Siegel has lived in Abington all his life. And he has been involved in Abington sports, playing football and baseball for the Green Wave.

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Baseball is a significant part of my life, and it was hard to be drawn away from the game.

— Aaron Siegel

Although Siegel has a strong connection to football, playing the sport for most of his life, his special passion is baseball.

This spring the football season occurred from March until April in a Fall II phase that had to be created due to COVID-19s impact on traditional fall sports.

On April 15, Siegel was playing in his last football game of his high school career when he got blocked by a member of the opposing team. Siegel felt discomfort in his left shoulder. This discomfort repeated three times until he walked off the football field for the last time.

After the game, Abington’s athletic trainer Alicia Reid figured out that Siegel suffered from a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder.

A lot of time and effort needed to go into towards healing if he was to return to the game of baseball. If the severity of the injury got worse, his chances of playing would lower significantly.

“To get my shoulder better I was working with the trainer and going to physical therapy early in the morning at 5:30 before school. I have been icing a lot along with the treatment,” Siegel said.

Siegel has been playing sports for years. Not playing impacted him a lot. He said, “I have never really missed time from a sport. Baseball is a significant part of my life, and it was hard to be drawn away from the game.”

Coach Perakslis, Atheltic Trainer Reid, and his family helped. Siegel said Coach Perakslis gave “a lot of encouragement and kept my hopes high to come back for the upcoming season.”

Attending first practices, Siegel said, “felt a little weird to get back into the swing of things. I have been practicing the whole season, but only pitching, and my stats were 0-2 with a walk and a run. But I felt great at the plate and hit the ball deep both times.”

On May 19, Seigel returned to baseball in a game against East Bridgewater at Abington’s home field. “I felt great to be back playing again the game I love. And we also had a great come from behind win that just put the cherry on top,” Siegel said.

After high school, Siegel will continue with the sport. “I am planning on playing college baseball at a high level after I finish my prep year at Bridgton,” he said.

Abington is currently 5-2 on the season with a win against Hull yesterday.  The next game is May 29 against Spellman.