Howdy Wildcat Fans!
I was recently awarded the prestigious honor of the Big 12 Player of the Year. For the Arizona softball program, only six players have received this award and of these six players, few have gone on to win the USA Softball Player of the Year accolade as well.
I didn’t realize I received an award that only six former Wildcats have earned. It took me a moment to realize what it means to have earned such an award when a reporter asked me, “A year ago today, did you think you would be where you are now at this point of the season?” I responded, “Absolutely not! Never did I expect that I would be capable of being the player that I once was before my injury.” This realization occurred during the duration of trying to overcome an injury. I have stated before that the injury I had experienced took a different kind of motivation and determination which also included the support from the many people in my corner that helped me get back on the field. But this injury took place during a time in my career where I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel given the flare-ups I experienced during the process of my rehabilitation.
With this being said, to answer such a question as this made me think of the mentality I had from when I began my true senior year until now in my fifth year. What changed you might ask? My mentality. My true senior year, I felt as if I needed to push myself to meet the high expectations to make noise in the circle as well as be an offensive threat in the batter’s box. The summer going into my true senior year, I trained hard with the intent to live up to these high expectations of play that I wanted to attain. Yet in the long run, I ended up injured due to the false reality of goals that I set creating more pressure than what the game of softball already provides. Pressure creates diamonds, but the added pressure of these expectations truly did not allow me to be the player I was capable of being focusing on the things players cannot control. This is one of the biggest mistakes that an athlete of any sport can put on themselves mentally.
The injury I never wanted to go through again ended up being one of my biggest setbacks for one of the greatest comebacks that meant more to me than anything… my fifth and final season of being a Wildcat. I remember going through the rehab process, wondering if I would ever wear my jersey again. This motivated me. All I wanted to do was to play the game that I loved since I was eight years old. The idea that a year ago today, all I wanted to do was to just throw and hit a ball no matter the outcome. This right here was the mentality that helped me attain more realistic goals as a college softball player.
From the moment I was able to wear that jersey again with Arizona across my chest was certainly a feeling that I never wanted to be taken away from me. My mentality changed from having high expectations to wanting to just play the game that I am passionate about while having fun with the people I love for a program that I love as well.
To answer this reporter’s question, I absolutely did not envision myself at this point of the season being successful, because it truly depicts a false reality that is out of my control. I learned from this question, and from the comeback of my injury, that I can control how I show up, how I play this game, and how I mentally prepare myself to have fun and play softball freely. This fifth and final year is a true testament of having fun and respecting the game no matter what it throws my way.
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