Softball player turns ACL setback into a comeback

Focus, determination and drive are qualities Kaitlynn Burns applies to every aspect of her life. From a young age, she competed in softball, joining travel leagues when she was seven.

Some of that drive and determination was inspired by her nana, who was always one of her biggest supporters and cheerleaders. When her nana died in 2025, Burns added a quote to her letterman jacket: “I’m so proud of you" – Nana.

“It was the last thing she said to me,” Burns says. “I was leaving a softball banquet, and she looked at me and said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ I always wanted to remember that.”

Burns didn’t know then just how much her determination would be tested in 2026.

A softball star

Burns is a junior at Delta High School. During her freshman year, she was named to the 2024-25 All-Delaware County Softball Team. As Delta’s top pitcher, she also earned all-county and All-Hoosier Heritage Conference honors.

During the winter of her sophomore year, Burns went on a ski trip in Michigan. While skiing down a slope, she felt like she had torn something in her knee but initially brushed it off.

A week after the trip, Burns was doing jumping jacks at softball practice when she felt a pop in her knee. She sat down but wasn’t experiencing intense pain, so she continued training.

Three weeks later, she attended a Ball State University Softball Elite Prospect Camp. While doing drills, she shifted her weight and felt another pop.

“I was sitting on the other side of the gym, and I heard it. It was so loud,” says Burns’ mom, Kristy Yunker. “The thing about Kaitlynn is she will always push through, and when I saw she wasn’t getting up, I knew something was wrong.”

Burns had a feeling that she had torn her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), from the looks on the trainers on site at the camp.

“I just sat in the car and was numb, with both shock and disappointment the realization of, this actually just happened,” says Burns. 

A devastating diagnosis

After connecting with Delta High School athletic trainer Jen Detweiler, Burns was directed to IU Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Muncie. There, she saw a familiar face: Chandler Brobst, MD, whom she had seen for previous injuries.

“One of the reasons that we loved Dr. Brobst so much was his initial approach,” Yunker says. “Since Kaitlynn has had knee issues before, he immediately looked at her knee injuries and what her long-term care would look like.”

Brobst ordered an MRI to pinpoint the diagnosis. After receiving the results of her MRI, Burns got the diagnosis she had been expecting: a torn ACL that would require surgery.

Within a week, Burns met Anthony McPherron, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Muncie. Knowing Burns was anxious to get back on the field, her surgery was scheduled for three weeks later.

Burns’ surgery was completed in one day, and she returned home to recover on the couch with ice cream and “Hamilton.” Looking back, Burns jokes that the worst part of her surgery came when she asked her stepmom to put on “Hamilton” and she started the musical on the wrong song.

Recovery and beyond

Burns reached some important milestones soon after surgery, including getting her driver’s license. She was determined to keep moving forward, even if that meant showing up for her driving test in a brace. And she did.

The day after surgery, Burns began physical therapy at IU Health Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation – Muncie. The team helped Burns strengthen the muscles supporting her knee and worked with her on exercises tailored to softball movements and techniques.

Now, Burns is back on the field, practicing with her team.

“I’m so excited,” she says. “But there will always be the fact that I had a major surgery just a few months ago, and I need to be careful.”

Burns and Yunker continue to receive support from the team at Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Muncie. They know that when there is a pop, pull or other concern, the team is just a call away to help address their questions.