Fighting Through It 

Junior Reece Massey’s experience of playing hurt on the biggest stage.

The smell of grass and morning dew on the softball field quickly turned into excruciating pain.

Not a lot of athletes get the chance to prove themselves in front of college coaches, and even less must do it hurt.

When Reece Massey got the news that there would be college scouts at her next game, she was at home with mononucleosis, which gave her an enlarged spleen, with a risk of rupturing. 

“I was at an increased risk of rupturing those organs,” Massey said, ”But I still to play at my best because there were college coaches watching me.” 

Despite the injury, Massey still played in her tournament. There were plenty of restrictions put in place which made it difficult for her to perform her best. 

“I had to wear a back brace that covered my entire stomach,” Massey said, “I also wasn’t allowed to hit, which is one of my strong suits, so it was unfortunate since coaches were coming to see me.” 

Despite the tough conditions, Massey focused on not letting her mental strength waver. Her teammate, Isabella Butts, had a first–hand view. 

“Physically she was pretty weak,” Butts said. “But because she played softball almost every day, she wasn’t able to lose her mental strength.”  

Now that Massey is healthy, she has returned to a top tier level. She has been given more opportunities to play in front of college coaches and is currently in the process of choosing where to play at a collegiate level. 

                                                                                                                                                     Story by Turner Graves