Apr 10, 2015 4 min read

Michele Moeller saw the frustration on the face of her promising freshman shortstop. Canon-McMillan’s softball coach pulled the player aside and offered words of encouragement late in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game two years ago.

Moeller did not want Linda Rush to doubt herself. Instilling confidence was critical, especially in a state title game that reached extra innings and lasted almost three hours at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park.

It worked. Rush changed the history of Canon-McMillan softball with one swing of the bat. With a runner on second in the top of the 12th inning, Rush, who had faked a bunt on the first pitch, hammered the second offering over the center-field wall to give the Big Macs a 4-2 lead over Neshaminy.

Neshaminy scored one run in the bottom-half of the inning, but Canon-McMillan held off a rally and won its first state title. The unheralded freshman was the hero.

It was a fitting end to a season in which Rush was thrust into the starting lineup after the previous year’s shortstop, Veronica Rothka, tore her anterior cruciate ligament. Rush batted .467 with 21 RBI as a freshman.

Her sophomore season was even better, as she batted .571 average with 38 RBI, leading the team with 48 hits and 40 runs. At the top of the order, she helped one of the top offenses in the state reach the WPIAL title game for the third consecutive season.

The slick-fielding shortstop drew rave reviews from college scouts who marveled at her plate discipline – only six strikeouts in 89 plate appearances as a sophomore – with speed and power to both sides of the field.

It added up to a Division I scholarship. Rush, now a junior for the Big Macs, committed to play softball at Drexel University. Peters Township graduate Tara Konopka is a pitcher/outfielder at Drexel.

“I really love the school out there and I like (interim head coach Mike) Taylor,” Rush said. “I’m really happy that I finally found somewhere and I can just relax. It was a really time-consuming process. I’m glad I took my time with it and didn’t commit too early.”

Rush will become the sixth current or former Canon-McMillan softball player over the past three years to play Division I softball, joining Olivia Lorusso (Robert Morris), Gia Zeremenko (Pitt), Yaszmin Kotar (Pitt), Brittany Crawford (Saint Francis) and Abby McCartney (Robert Morris).

Moeller sees a common denominator in each of those players: athleticism, speed and power.

Rush fits the mold perfectly. Though Moeller will never forget Rush’s home run in University Park, her shortstop’s performance during the entirety of the state championship season has stuck with her.

“Obviously, that home run is going to go down in history, but what I look at even more is the fact that she came in as a freshman when we lost a senior, four-year starter with an ACL tear and told her she was going to be our shortstop,” Moeller said. “To be in that position and excel the way she did is what stands out to me.”

Rush occasionally watches the video from that game and still can’t believe her eyes. A play that will forever live in Canon-McMillan softball lore as ‘fake bunt’ is still discussed by coaches and players.

Though Rush will never forget the game, she’s not done making memories in C-M blue and gold. Despite losing Lorusso and Zeremenko, the Big Macs are one of the top teams in WPIAL Class AAAA with a perfect 5-0 record and Rush setting the tempo in the lead-off spot.

“It’s been crazy so far with the weather, but we’re playing really well,” Rush said. “I’m glad though. We’ve been working hard and Coach Moeller isn’t letting us the loss of those good players put us down.”