Under clear skies and the humid air of Cindy Boulware Field, Gainesville High softball superstar Leanna Bourdage accomplished a feat she seemed predestined for.
Bourdage reached 500 career strikeouts on Thursday, April 30, during the district championship game between GHS and Deltona. She fired a fastball in the top corner that made Wolves’ cleanup hitter Andrea Stump look like Wile E Coyote.
From the moment those saw Bourdage for the first time, whether on the travel ball circuit or on NW 13th street, 500 Ks looked like a walk in the park.
Two years ago, the freshman helmed Gainesville High on a run all the way to the state championship game and pitched every bit like Hurricane legends Katie Chronister and Alissa Humphrey – both of whom reached the Women’s College World Series in their next stage in life.
This season appears more of the same. The ‘Canes are ranked No. 4 in Class 5A and hungry for championship glory.
Smooth sailing for the pitcher who will play for Texas A&M in a year and a half, right? Not even close.
What happened to Leanna Bourdage?
Last summer, Bourdage was diagnosed with Venous Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) in her right shoulder. She underwent surgery on June 30, 2025, in Dallas with Dr. Gregory Pearl conducting the surgery. Bourdage said he’s one of the few specialists in the country who could do it.
So, yes, TOS is a rare condition, although Bourdage acknowledged it’s becoming more common in baseball and softball pitchers. Philadelphia Philles star pitcher Zach Wheeler missed the last two months of the 2025 season with the same condition.
Still, Bourdage’s injury flummoxed doctors for over a year. They told her she had tendonitis, her labrum was torn, her bicep was torn. All while scans showed different things.
Bourdage recalls the pain in her right arm began in April 2024 – two months into her freshman season. The Hurricanes, though, held title aspirations and she fought through it. That summer, a critical one for college recruiting, the pain caused Bourdage to stop pitching.
To say Bourdage felt pain is an understatement. It was more like a death sentence.
“It was a 10 out of 10. Constant pain, stinging and numbness,” Bourdage said. “Once I hit the end of my freshman year, my arm was numb 24/7, and it eventually turned blue a few times.”
Bourdage reached cabinets at home, and her arm dropped. She threw her pen across the room at school because her nerves just failed to cooperate.
Finally, last June, Dr. Koco Eaton – the Orthopedic Surgeon for the Tampa Bay Rays – discovered the TOS. He had Bourdage undergo the “ball test.”
“You squeeze the ball 30 times with your hand in the air, and if it turns white for longer than three seconds, you have Thoracic Outlet stage three,” Bourdage said. “Which I had, and they were immediately like ‘fly to Texas and get the surgery.”’
How did Bourdage pitch through that?
In the months before that, with the pain still at a 10, Bourdage took up pitching again. Initially, she began the 2025 season as just a baserunner, but the then sophomore wanted to win a state title.
She returned on April 18 and ended the season with a 1.42 ERA with five earned runs allowed and 57 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. She nearly took GHS back to the Final Four before a loss to eventual state champion Winter Springs in the region final.
“The one time I didn’t feel pain is when I had Botox the first time, and my whole arm went completely numb and I had no feeling,” Bourdage said. “That was probably the one time it was good.”
Physical pain, but no more mental
The pain didn’t get better immediately following the surgery. In some ways, it got worse. For example, she slept on her left side or back before the surgery, but afterwards, she needed to sleep crisscross applesauce with her arms over her chest.
In addition, she wrote left-handed last fall at school. Mentally, though, Bourdage entered a new stage.
“I now knew I had a plan,” Bourdage said. “I could get ready for my summer season and get ready for recruitment.”
It came at the perfect time, with September 1, 2025, being the first day colleges could reach out to her.
The dream school still comes through
During her one year “off,” interest from colleges began to wane. Bourdage emailed coaches all summer. Once September hit, she still received calls from schools such as Florida, UCF and other top Division I programs, but nothing from her top choice – Texas A&M.
Later that month, though, she posted a video of her return to pitching. The next day, A&M called her with an offer.
She didn’t have to think twice.
“It’s always been my dream since I was little to pitch in the SEC,” Bourdage said. “The traditions and coaching staff are amazing. It has a family feel.”
A return to greatness
With her recruiting closed, one last challenge stared down Bourdage – returning to her dominant ways at GHS. She fully returned to pitching in December, and Gainesville head coach Chris Chronister knew the difficulties that awaited.
“It was going to be a learning process for her again, to get back into the swing of things because she hadn’t pitched competitively in six months,” Chronister said.
“Coming into the season, I knew it was going to be rough,” Bourdage said. “We also had a lot of seniors leave.”
In her first five games, Bourdage walked 20 batters – almost half of her 2024 total. As a team, the ‘Canes sat at 1-3.
The turnaround began March 26 in a thrilling 1-0, nine-inning victory over Trenton. Bourdage threw all nine frames with 13 strikeouts as she outdueled friend and Florida softball commit Addison Allaire.
“It’s good to see her back in her groove,” Chronister said. “To see her thriving the way she has been really refreshing.”
Like any great college pitcher, Bourdage said she elevates for the big games.
“When we play the better teams, and the stands are filled, I get that adrenaline rush and lock in,” Bourdage said.
Her 0.75 ERA and 199 strikeouts rank near the top in Florida, and she’s almost singlehandedly taken the young ‘Canes to the postseason.
She has still yet to join Chronister, though, in bringing a state championship trophy to GHS. It’s something that will consume her for the next three weeks.
“I’m someone who will push myself to the very max, and I won’t pull myself out,” Bourdage said.
The Hurricanes begin their postseason journey at home in the Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinals vs. Deltona at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: GHS softball’s Leanna Bourdage went from constant arm pain to SEC commit. How?
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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