It took Mike Ball an intramural football game to find out that he could bounce back from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

After suffering a knee injury in the first half of his first-ever Southern New Hampshire University men’s lacrosse game, the Salem resident rehabbed and returned as one of the biggest offensive threats in all of Division II lacrosse.

He scored 55 goals and notched five assists last spring, earning him the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division II Player of the Year award, as well as the SNHU Male Athlete of the Year honor. Still, Ball and the Penmen coaching staff look forward to an even bigger season in 2009.

“Mike’s capable of the 80-point mark,” said SNHU’s head coach, Paul Calkins. “Last year was pretty good, but I think he’s capable of more.”

Ball also has high expectations for next spring.

“That’s definitely my goal. I want to come out and lead the nation in scoring,” Ball said. “I want to get a lot more assists, and have another breakout year.”

After his ACL injury two seasons ago, Ball tried intramural football on campus at the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year.

“During the fall I played quarterback, and we won the league,” he said. “I started to get the confidence to cut and not think about what could happen to my knee.”

During the lacrosse season, Ball is a vocal and offensive leader on the SNHU squad, but in the summer he hits the beach as an avid wakeboarder.

“I get intense on the field, but when I’m not there I love to be at the beach,” said Ball. “Most people see me off the field as relaxed. Not much bothers me.”

Calkins knew last year was going to be a good one for Ball when he watched the attackman during practice; Ball scored with ease against a defense Calkins also thought was going to have a solid season.

“It was fun because in his first preseason every time he was touching the ball he was scoring a goal,” he said. “You’d see him in practice going against our guys creating defense, and you realized it was going to be fun. He proved right away that everyone had to take notice.”

Ball said he is successful at lacrosse thanks in part to the skills he learned from his lacrosse coach and father, James Ball, as well as his competitive nature.

“I get made fun of a lot because I’m so competitive at everything, no matter the game,” said Ball. “I don’t lose very often, but when I do people like to get on me for that because they know it won’t happen much.”

After one year of bouncing back for Mike Ball, his coach is ready to witness a leap forward.

“For Mike this past year, it was almost a year of redemption. He had a lot to prove that he will be someone to be reckoned with,” said Calkins. “This year I think he’s got something else to prove. He’ll come out stronger.”