Amid father's cancer battle, Amber Fiser finds new strengths for Gophers

One day this past August, Amber Fiser ran out of her Iowa home.

Her father and stepmother had just finished telling the Gophers pitcher and her younger brother their dad had a rare and advanced form of prostate cancer. Fiser, in her own words, did not take it well.

This was the man who toted her to all his softball games, sitting her on the corner of the bleachers with some toys, a tub of popcorn and a pop. This was her lifelong catcher, perching on an overturned bucket to help her practice her changeups.

Already crying, Fiser reached out to someone she knew would comfort her: A teammate. As soon as Gophers leadoff hitter MaKenna Partain saw Fiser on FaceTime, she started bawling, too. But her response was calm and strong.

"I'm here for you," Partain told her friend. "If you need me to come, I'll come."

Never mind that it would have been more than a 1,500-mile trek from Partain's Oregon home back to the Midwest. Fiser believes any of the 20 Gophers softball players would drop everything to be there for a teammate. That fierce bond — and Fiser's standout pitching — have helped propel the Gophers to the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they'll open at home Friday night against North Dakota State.

"There's not many teams that you can say that are like family and that support each other off the field," said Fiser, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. "That's what's really special about this team."

Fiser and Partain, both juniors, have seen their friendship blossom ever since that sad video chat. Partain stays updated on Rob Fiser's radiation treatments, which he recently finished as he awaits more tests to decide the next step. She prays with Fiser. Together, they made the four-hour drive to Fiser's home, 30 miles west of Cedar Rapids, so the pitcher could see her family.

Partain even recalled a night when every single teammate gathered in the Gophers locker room to sit with Fiser and cry with her when it all became too much. The whole team participated in a prostate cancer awareness game last month, wearing light blue accents to their uniforms.

Rob Fiser also endured two kidney transplants while his daughter was in high school, but he hasn't let his medical issues deter him from cheering on his daughter. He still travels to most of her games and talks to her daily by phone, though the 43 radiation treatments curbed his involvement some this season.

He wouldn't miss this NCAA regional, though. He said he's not going to let cancer "roll over him" and plans to outlive the disease. His daughter shows that same determination.

"She's a fighter, too," he said. "There's no doubt about it."

The circle is probably the best display of that personality. Fiser has a 1.24 ERA in her 214⅓ innings pitched, with 301 strikeouts and a 26-7 record. She holds opponents to a .168 batting average.

Coach Jamie Trachsel said pitchers set the tone for the whole team, and Fiser's confidence pervades the roster. Trachsel has been impressed with how Fiser has accepted challenges outside the game and used them to fuel her improvement "instead of hiding from something that didn't make her feel great."

Fiser attributed her success to investing more time into being a part of the team. Pitchers often work separately from the position players but, this season, Fiser has made a point to come to team practices and just hang around and help her teammates however she can.

And now Fiser will look to keep piling up those Ks against NCAA tourney opponents. And no matter what this postseason throws at her, she and her teammates will find a way to persevere.

"It's just amazing to watch her, how much more mentally tough she's gotten," Partain said. "That was probably something where maybe she struggled with before, but she's gotten so much stronger and just so much more confidence and belief in herself."

Fiser might stand alone in the pitcher's circle, but she has an entire team behind her.

"She's fighting for her dad," Partain said. "She's fighting for her. She's fighting for our team."

Note: Five Gophers were named to the NFCA Great Lakes All-Region teams. Fiser and Natalie DenHartog made the first team, Hope Brandner and Partain the second team, and Maddie Houlihan the third team.