The Wark family is unlucky.

Three of the four sisters played softball; Melissa, Maia and Micaela, and all three tore both of their ACLs.

“It might be genetic,” said Bill Wark, their father.

Micaela, a redshirt freshman at OSU, tore her first ACL in her junior year of high school, then COVID shutdown the season. Five games after she recovered from the first injury, she tore another ACL and suffered a compound forearm bone break on the same play.

After missing almost three years of softball and transferring colleges in between, Micaela is starting at first base and hitting fourth in No. 2 OSU’s lineup, adding a .400 bat to a team eyeing another trip to the Women’s College World Series.

“She’s got a chance to be a really special player here,” said OSU coach Kenny Gajewski.

After her first injury, Micaela contemplated ending her softball career. There were complications after the surgery forcing a subsequent surgery where her surgeon had to “go in blind” to finish repairing her knee.

But she returned. Even when physically recovering from a serious injury, the mental hurdle can be difficult for athletes to overcome. Her sisters’ support and experience helped her recovery, though. Maia — who medically retired from softball after a short career at North Texas in 2022 — used her knowledge of ACL recovery and the mental challenges that caused her to not play a game she had for most of her life to help Micaela recover.

“Within a couple weeks, she went to go support her teammates,” Bill said. “That was really important for her to be there. My wife and daughter got her to do that. You have to go back into that surrounding. For these girls, it starts when they’re 8, 9 years old. They’re living that life, and an injury can take you out.”

After the second set of injuries — a play where she collided with fellow Cowgirl Audrey Schniedmiller in a high school game — many schools recruiting Micaela backed off. She previously committed to Houston in eighth grade, but decommitted because of a number of factors, including experiences of the family’s car being broken into while at the campus. Later in high school, she committed to Kansas, one of the few schools to commit to her after the injuries.

“If I was them, I would take that chance, too,” Gajewksi said.

While she recovered at Kansas, a 10 hour difference separated Micaela from her family; the constant in her recovery. Without many connections, she said she felt isolated in Lawrence.

So, she entered the transfer portal after a redshirt season, and immediately, Gajewski, whom remembered recruiting Micaela while she was in high school, showed interest.

Micaela remembered him, too, so she sent him an email asking about the program. While at the gym with her friend, Gajewski responded.

“All it said was, ‘Are you still available?’” Micaela said.

After a call and trip to Stillwater, Micaela canceled her other visits, shut down her recruitment and committed to OSU — saying she wanted to join a family who can help her mentally recover and compete to make her a better player.

“Coach G showed confidence in me, and that’s something I hadn’t felt in a couple years,” Micaela said.

Before the season, Gajewski talked about the option for three first basemen for the 2023 season. Morgyn Wynne, a senior who also transferred from Kansas; Claire Timm, a freshman Gajewski saw potential in; and Wark, who won the job.

Through 31 starts as a Cowgirl, Wark is reaching base 45% of the time with a 1.090 OPS— third among starters. Working with team strength and conditioning coach Chance Marek allowed her to regain strength in her lower body — although she said she still can’t jump as high or run as fast.

Gajewski nor Micaela said they are shocked at the offensive production, but Bill, despite being her father, is. He said he treasures watching his youngest daughter succeed, but finds more appreciation in the road it took her to get to this point.

“If you would have asked me, I was questioning it a little bit,” Bill said. “OSU is a really good program, they’ve been to the World Series a few times, but that’s what Micaela wanted. She competed. We thought she would get a few at bats here and there, but she’s the No. 4 bat for the second team in the country. That’s what makes me more proud. She battled all the way back, and she’s there and she’s playing.

“That’s going to be a life lesson that she’s going to have forever.”