UF coach Tim Walton confirmed junior All-American Francesca Enea re-injured her right knee during fall training in a press conference Monday.
Enea first hurt her knee during her freshman season and missed more than 20 games. How much time, if any, she will miss in the 2009 season is still in question, but Walton acknowledged the injury.
"It is the same reconstructed knee. It is her ACL," he said. "Whether or not it's going to require surgery, or (she's) just going to continue to do what she's done and just reevaluate the end of the season, we still got a few more weeks in the fall and into the spring to decide what she wants to do."
Enea finished her freshman year playing on the injury before being informed by a doctor that her ACL was torn.
That off-season, she was presented with the choice of rehabbing the knee and missing half of her sophomore campaign or undergoing surgery over the summer in hopes of playing a full season.
She opted for surgery, missed only one game and responded with one of the most productive seasons in UF history. She hit .336 with a .398 OBP and led the team in HRs (17) and RBIs (64) while making a position change from catcher to left field to put less strain on her knee.
Behind Enea's big bat, the Gators made their first ever Women's College World Series where their cleanup hitter would become just the third player in history to hit two home runs in a single WCWS game.
If Enea is to miss time, UF's potent offense will miss a lot of production from left field as well as protection for its No. 1-3 hitters (Kim Waleszonia, Aja Paculba and Ali Gardiner).
Walton said he is planning on her being available for the start of the season, but will know more about her status as opening day approaches.
"I expect her to be on the field," he said. "How healthy she'll be this year is to be determined still, we're preparing for life with her or without her, it's one of those things that she's got some instabilities in her legs and her feet, she's been pretty injury-prone since she's been here, obviously with ACL reconstruction her freshman year. Right now she's slated to hit fourth, play left field, do all those things for us."
