Going through all that was “demoralizing,” Woodberry said, but he’s been able to gain some perspective now that he’s healthy again. Woodberry is back as an outfielder/designated hitter for the Bozeman Bucks while simultaneously preparing for his senior football season.

“Now I know for sure to lay off a little bit in practice on my teammates,” he said, “because I don’t want anyone else to go through that. I don’t want to go through that again.”

It’s been a slow learning process for Woodberry, who’s had a competitive edge to him since he first picked up a bat in tee ball and played flag football in elementary school. His father, Mike, was also a standout linebacker at Montana State from 1998-2001, which helped inspire Josh to play sports early on.

That drive continued into high school. Gallatin football head coach Hunter Chandler called Woodberry “one of the most unique kids I’ve been around” based on his work ethic and focus each day.

“He will do whatever it takes to succeed in really whatever you’re talking about,” Chandler said. “It could be the smallest thing in the world or it could be something big for him like a football game or a baseball game or whatever the case may be.”

Naturally, that created opportunities for Woodberry on the football field. His playing time grew during his sophomore season, even with the preseason injury that he attempted to downplay.

Woodberry’s shoulder underwent dry needling and was taped up before every game. He was also on “more Tylenol and Ibuprofen than was good for me” to stay on the field, he said. Woodberry finished the season with 29 total tackles, including five tackles for loss.

He finally told his parents about the injury halfway through the following basketball season and underwent surgery for the torn labrum in January. Woodberry started the recovery process, which forced him to miss the upcoming baseball season.

Woodberry had been hopeful that wouldn’t be the case, as he’d been in regular contact with Bozeman Bucks head coach Sean Potkay. Now sidelined, Woodberry still showed up to every home game and continued lifting with the football team throughout the offseason.

“It’s always exciting to see the kids that, whether it’s an injury or maybe they focus on another sport but still want to be down here and support some of the kids that they grew up playing with, be at the ball field,” Potkay said.

Austin Cooper, one of Woodberry’s teammates on both the Bucks and the Raptors’ football team, enjoyed seeing his friend at summer lifts and at Heroes Park.

“He would always sit in the stands and be loud still,” Cooper said. “It’s always kind of funny just hearing him yell from the stands.”

Meanwhile, Woodberry attacked his recovery, working with his physical therapist to get back to the field as quickly as possible. He’d go to PT appointments two or three times a week and have a daily regimen of exercises to do on his own time.

The recovery process was also mentally taxing, Woodberry said, with the monotonous days making it difficult to see the end result. He relied on his faith to keep him grounded.

“(I would) just pray and just ask for success because it’s an iffy process,” he said. “You don’t know if it’s going to work out or if you’re going to be back in time. And usually I read a Bible verse to encourage myself (each morning).”

Woodberry did enough to be suited up for Gallatin’s fall camp, this time with a shoulder brace. He was so fired up that his coaches had to hold him back from going full speed.

“A lot of kids, and Josh is definitely like this, he’s a kid you almost have to rein back a little bit because he’s always trying to push the envelope of, ‘I’m good. I’m good. I’m good,’” Chandler said. “And for us (as coaches, we’re) just trying to make sure that he’s feeling good, he’s ready to roll by the time the season starts.”

Woodberry loved that he wouldn’t miss any football, even if it meant not telling his physical therapist he was back in pads so soon. That plan almost backfired when Gallatin competed in a preseason camp alongside Billings West, Senior and Skyview.

“I didn’t tell my PT that I was going,” Woodberry said. “I told him afterwards and he was pretty unhappy. He was like, ‘It’s a miracle you didn’t get broken.’”

But Woodberry was ready to play again. His junior season was even more successful, earning him first team all-state honors at outside linebacker with 103 total tackles. He also spent time at tight end and offensive tackle, filling in at OT after three-year starter Gannon McGarrah tore his ACL in the third game of the season.

Woodberry also injured his elbow — “he couldn’t really move his arm past 90 degrees,” Chandler said — and later suffered a high ankle sprain during a playoff game against Missoula Big Sky. He played through it all, helping the Raptors reach the Class AA semifinals.

“He was just taking every snap both ways and still found a way to be really productive for us and have a really good year and also just be a really good leader,” Chandler said.

It was encouraging for Woodberry to perform at a high level on the football field despite his injuries. But that led to a “really stressful decision” about playing for the Bucks, he said.

Baseball stretches out the ligaments in your shoulder and heavily relies on the rotator cuff, which surgeons cut through to fix Woodberry's labrum. His physical therapist told Woodberry that playing the sport could be dangerous, especially as his shoulder could still sublux, or partially dislocate.

That came to fruition on the first day of Bucks practice. Woodberry hadn’t thrown a baseball in over a year, yet he “went out there and acted like he had been playing catch for a month and a half,” Potkay said. Woodberry said he could feel his arm sagging, leaving him defeated.

But Potkay came up with a plan to ease Woodberry back into it. He got 20-25 throws in during the early days and slowly worked his way up. Woodberry had to relearn the basics of the game — “I’ve taken out the bag twice sliding this year,” he said — and underwent an early season slump.

Woodberry started to find his groove during a game against the Missoula Mavericks on May 20. He “got lucky” during his first at-bat, he said, and hit a solo home run to left field. Woodberry finished the game 4 for 4.

He’s stayed consistent since then. Entering the Bucks’ home tournament on June 22, Woodberry was hitting .302 and led the team with 22 RBI. He’d also stolen 10 bases. In the following 13 games, Woodberry went 12 for 35 (.343) with nine RBI.

“He just always finds a way to get the barrel on the ball,” Potkay said. “But I think that’s just kind of the way he’s wired. He’s just an extremely competitive person. When you put him in those opportunities, he really thrives.”

Woodberry said it’s been a concerted effort to work on his confidence this season. Potkay taught him to slow things down by taking deep breaths at the plate. That hasn’t always been easy; earlier this season, Woodberry’s dad told him that his breathing sounded more like an apprehensive sigh.

“I was like, OK, now I’ve got to learn how to breathe and then do it quietly,’” Woodberry said. “But I guess it’s a good way to help focus on the pitcher and just what he’s going to throw.”

With more self-belief, Woodberry’s trademark high energy has returned. That helps get his teammates “excited to play and hyped up,” Cooper said, and also leads to some on-field antics.

Potkay remembers specific instances like Woodberry making a fuss to an umpire when he made Woodberry stay in the batter’s box after being hit by a pitch. Or the time Woodberry tried to lean into a pickoff attempt with his helmet. Or Woodberry getting “pretty animated” when his outfield throws don’t go according to plan.

“You get a lot of funny things that come up when you’re in the coach’s box, watching his at bat or him running the bases or whatever,” Potkay added. “He’s pretty fun to be around.”

Woodberry brings a similar energy level to the football field. One of Gallatin football’s core tenets is “juice,” which means bringing high intensity to every practice and game. Chandler said Woodberry exemplifies that value.

“He’s going to bring a level of intensity that’s going to kind of (elevate) the whole group,” Chandler said. “He just kind of brings that out of people. He just wants to be successful and he wants to win so badly that he kind of cranks it up for everyone else.”

That desire to win alongside his teammates has especially driven Woodberry during his recovery process. Potkay called Woodberry a “really strong character kid” and Chandler added that Woodberry’s journey is a testament to what sports are “really all about.”

Woodberry said he’s been encouraged by still performing at a high level while being banged up. He’s thankful for the support from his parents and he’s found solace in the idea of this being “God’s plan that I get back like this.”

He’s also just excited to be playing at all, something he doesn’t want to take for granted.

“I’m trying to learn to love the process more,” Woodberry said, “because there’s only so many days you get to be out practicing with your team. And it’s not as much about winning and losing. But winning is still awesome.”