Newsday Athlete of the Week is Deer Park softball's Alana Villavicencio

A year ago, Alana Villavicencio’s softball future was in jeopardy.

As Villavicencio writhed in pain in the batter’s box after tearing her left shoulder labrum on April 26, 2023, she recalled her doctor’s previous warning. Having already dislocated her shoulder several times, she was told that if it happened two more times, her shoulder would be out of commission.

“I was like, ‘Is this it? Is my shoulder done? Will I not be able to play anymore?’ ” Villavicencio said. “The pain was unbearable. I remember getting carried off the field . . . it was traumatizing.”

On Thursday, the righthanded Deer Park junior struck out 14 batters and allowed two hits in a 5-1 win over Bellport. Villavicencio eclipsed 100 strikeouts on the season as the Falcons clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2019.

Villavicencio underwent surgery in July and began her twice-a-week physical therapy regimen on Sep. 1, which she followed through December. She balanced her rehab with pitching lessons to make sure she was ready to go for the start of the season.

“When you’re out, it’s not only your arm that you’re not using, it’s your whole body,” Deer Park coach Marie Racano said. “We were worried about her being fatigued and not conditioned. When you pitch seven innings, that’s a lot of work.”

Villavicencio has been a workhorse for Deer Park this season and she’s been nothing short of dominant. She sports an 11-2 record and has a 1.43 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 73 innings.

“I would’ve never told you that Alana would put up the numbers that she has,” Racano said. “For her to come back from labrum surgery and being out, to doing this is unbelievable. Her teammates are backing her up and she’s able to ride her confidence out knowing that her teammates are behind her.”

Villavicencio decided that she wouldn’t hit this season in an effort to keep herself healthy. That decision has been paying dividends. Deer Park was 4-4 last year before her season-ending injury. The Falcons finished 4-10.

“It was really smart of her to selflessly take herself out of the lineup offensively and say, ‘I’m going to give it 110 percent defensively and put the ball over the plate and do my job,’ ” Racano said. “Knowing her since she’s been in eighth grade, it’s been great to see that maturity.”

Deer Park had won just nine games in Villavicencio’s first three years on the team. Now, the resilient hurler has the Falcons standing at 11-2 and 3-1 in Suffolk League IV and ready for the postseason.

“We’ve been wanting this for so long, since I joined varsity in eighth grade,” Villavicencio said. “We’re a lot closer this year. We’ve evolved past teammates, I would say we’re all close friends now and it makes all the difference in the field.”