ADM girls basketball senior forward Erica Baier’s stat line won’t jump off the page. She’s appeared in four games, amassing 22 points total.

What instead makes Baier stand out is her perseverance and pure love for the sport.

Baier started playing basketball at a young age and continued to play in junior high and her freshman year of high school. She then decided to focus on shotput throwing for track, and did not play as a sophomore.

But with some convincing from ADM junior varsity head coach Cassandra Mueller, Baier rejoined the JV team halfway through her junior year.

Baier was then set to join the varsity team this year when she suffered a partial tear of her ACL in November. She could have easily decided to not play basketball, and who could have blamed her? But motivation to rehab from the injury was in full supply.

“Pretty much the only thing that kept me going was the fact that I wanted to get back out on the court,” Baier said. “I regret not going out my sophomore and junior years, so kind of just being able to finish off my senior year without having the same regret was what really kept me getting – and I wanted to get better as soon as I could to go back out there and play.”

Baier said the wait has been worth it, and she got her breakout moment Tuesday in ADM’s 68-30 win at Carroll. Baier came off the bench to score a game-high 13 points, eventually heading to the bench for good late in the fourth quarter to a warm round of applause from the traveling ADM fans and a standing ovation from her teammates.

Of course, Baier understand that such opportunities are rare for her, but she has carved herself out a role.

“It’s definitely been an amazing experience,” she said. “I mean, I’m not a starter by any means, but being able to find my spot on a team – I’m kind of the team motivator. I’ve always had a bit of a passion for motivational speaking and uplifting teammates and that sort of thing.”

Baier and the rest of the Tigers will host the Ballard Bombers in conference play Friday night at 6 p.m., a game that can be heard live on K107.