NAMPA, Idaho – One inning into her junior season, Rae Young felt something in her elbow give out.

The Northwest Nazarene pitcher has had elbow problems since Little League and her arm betrayed her at the worst possible moment.

Gone was her ability to pitch and potentially her chance at playing at all this season.

"I was pretty scared because I didn't know the type of damage I did because my arm swelled up pretty fast," she said. "The swelling went down and I had to rest if and now the nerve is out and I just have to have surgery to fix it."

That surgery would officially end her junior season. A season where the NNU softball team was picked to win the conference title and was aiming for a second consecutive regional tournament berth.

So instead, Young opted to rest her arm and get at bats while playing in the outfield. That was the plan, anyway.

When teammate Kylie Orr tore her labrum making it impossible for her to throw and Ivy Hommel broke her arm, Young was suddenly thrust into an entirely new position: first base.

"I played it when I was younger, but I'm short so I shouldn't be a first baseman," she said. "But when people go down and the team needs it, they can put me wherever and I'll give it my best effort."

Young has made eight starts at first base and under the tutelage of Orr and infield coach Tim Souza is making steady progress.

"I know she hasn't played there a ton, but she is a great athlete and she can learn the position," Orr said. "I'm just trying to catch her up, because first base isn't really like the other infield positions. We have a ton of backup jobs, so I'm just trying to help her as much as possible.

"She has been great at listening and is catching on really fast."

At a recent practice, Orr could be seen showing Young, freshman Maia McNicoll and starting catcher Brittany Genuardi – who has also seen time at first base this season – pointers on how to pivot when receiving a throw, where to look immediately after catching a throw to keep runners from advancing a base and just generally offering encouragement.

"Picking (throws) and getting to the bag is fine, it's thinking about what to do and thinking a couple of steps ahead about relays and where to go when the ball is thrown to you that is hard," Young said. "Kylie has been a really big help. She has been a really good coach and has definitely helped me learn a lot faster than I probably would have on my own."

The Nighthawks have 12 regular-season games remaining and are in fifth place in the GNAC, just two games out of the fourth spot. The top four teams advance to the conference tournament.

A big key to NNU's success down the stretch will certainly be players like Young, who are playing out of position but doing so successfully.

"These girls moving into these spots, it's fun to watch them have success and not look like they are lost," NNU coach Rich Wagner said. "They are doing a great job of getting in the moment and being in the moment."

NNU hosts Saint Martin's in a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday.