ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- During the scariest moment of her young life, Olivia Wallace didn't just find a calming voice.
 
The College of Saint Benedict senior also found a new sense of perspective that has helped carry her to collegiate softball success.

 

And, even more importantly, she found a calling that continues to guide her as she prepares to embark on her professional path following graduation later this month.
 
That pivotal encounter occurred when a frightened Wallace was just 15 and at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis awaiting surgery to correct a rare heart condition that had first been diagnosed just after she was born.
 
"When you're 15 and hear anything involving heart surgery, it's scary," Wallace recalled. "My mind was racing. I had so many questions.
 
"That was when a PA (physician assistant) took the time to sit with me and calm my anxiety. She explained everything that was going to happen and what the reasons for it were. It made such a big difference. By the time my surgery was about to start, my fear had been transformed into something more like curiosity. I'll always remember that," she said. "It was the first time I realized the impact a PA can have on someone at the scariest moments in their lives. I wanted to be the person who was able to do that for others."
 
Wallace has gotten a jump start on pursuing that dream at CSB where she is a biology major on the pre-PA track. She's also spent the past two summers working at Crescent Cove in Brooklyn Center, one of just a few pediatric respite and hospice homes for children in the U.S.
 
It means she's working with children facing serious medical conditions, sometimes in the last chapter of those fights.
 
"There are days that can be super tough," she said. "But the goal is to give kids a chance to laugh and play and feel at home, even in the most difficult moments of life for both them and their families."
 
Wallace herself suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a condition in which an extra electrical pathway exists between the heart's upper and lower chambers. That can cause episodes of rapid heartbeat. It was discovered when she was just five weeks old.
 
Growing up, she said the episodes didn't come often and the thought was she might one day outgrow it. But when she was 15, an occurrence while pitching on a hot day led doctors to recommend undergoing a procedure known as a catheter ablation.
 
The surgery was successful and the condition hasn't impacted her again. In fact, she was back on the mound a week later.
 
"It did throw me for a loop a little to think the week before I was laying in an operating room with doctors working on my heart, and there I was back on the softball field," Wallace said. "But thankfully, everything worked out and it's been good ever since. "I think the whole experience did show I can overcome anything in front of me. It definitely made me appreciate things more knowing there's always a chance they can be taken away."
 
Those things include softball. Wallace didn't get as many opportunities as she wanted to make an impact at Maple Grove High School, a perennial state power in Minnesota's largest class.
 
But she showed enough to get a chance at CSB where she has provided the Bennies a steady second pitching option alongside classmate Ellie Peterson.
 
This season alone, she boasts an 11-2 record with 55 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA for CSB, which finished the regular season 21-1 in MIAC play and 31-9 overall – taking sole possession of the conference title.
 
The Bennies receive a first-round bye and will host the semifinals and finals of the MIAC Playoffs on Saturday.
 
"Winning the MIAC title is huge," Wallace said. "It's been a big goal for us since the beginning of the season and it gives us a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs."
 
In total, Wallace now boasts 27 career victories and ranks 10^th all-time in school history with 166 career strikeouts.
 
"She's probably ended up playing an even bigger role for us than I anticipated when she first got here," CSB head coach Rachael Click said. "She didn't have as many opportunities to stand out in high school because of the program she was playing in. But she has here and she's taken advantage of it. As a coach, you love to see that happen. It's really satisfying to see players come into their own and shock some people."
 
While the Bennies are the top seed in the MIAC tournament, St. Mary's (20-2, 35-3) is seeded No. 2. Wallace's younger sister Sophia is in her first college season with the Cardinals.
 
"It's kind of weird to be competing against her, but it's fun, too," Wallace said. "Growing up, we've always been supportive of one another. It's kind of crazy we're each on one of the top two teams, but it's exciting for both of us."
 
Of course, Wallace is going to do all she can to make sure it's her team that comes out on top and earns the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
 
"It's going to be so exciting to have the home field advantage," said Wallace, who will begin a full-time job at Crescent Cove after graduation while preparing to begin PA school a year from now. "Last year, we had to go to St. Mary's and we lost to them in the championship game. This time around, we'll have a lot of support and a big fan section cheering us on."
 
"Hopefully, that gives us an extra edge," said Wallace. "It's not going to be easy, but we know we have the talent to go a long way if we can put everything together."