Haley Simpson has been knocked down due to injuries several times in her career, but the fifth-year senior outfielder keeps coming back. Simpson missed the last two seasons with the Gamecocks after having hip surgery in December of 2020, forcing her to sit out that spring, and then she tore her left ACL a week before opening day last February. It was the second time she had ACL surgery after tearing the ligament in her right leg in high school.
“It was tough, but I definitely feel blessed because I had May Cordero, our athletic trainer, doing my rehabs, and she has been wonderful,” said Simpson, who earned her degree in visual communications in December and is now working on a master’s in Journalism and Mass Communications.
“The physical side of it wasn’t as bad. I’ve been through an ACL rehab before, and I came back from hip surgery feeling great. It was more the mental side of it and having to deal with back-to-back injuries.
“With the ACL injury, I felt like the rug just got ripped out from under me. I feel like I have something to prove. I’ve been injured for two years now, and before that I got gipped on the COVID year. I feel like I have something to prove, and I want to get out there and show everyone how hard I’ve worked. I also have incredible teammates who have kept me going and haven’t let me get my head down.”
Simpson hit. 264 as a freshman in 49 games with four stolen bases, and in her sophomore COVID-shortened campaign of 2020 she led the Gamecocks with a .353 average in 21 games with seven stolen bases and became the first Gamecock since 2007 to hit two triples in a game when she tallied a pair against Virginia Tech.
Getting over any season-ending injury is tough, not just physically, but mentally, and Simpson credits the mental health services offered through South Carolina Athletics for helping her get through it.
“I’ve been seeing Dr. (Rhea) Merck (a licensed clinical psychologist) from the Mental Health Performance Team weekly, and we talk about it a lot,” Simpson said. “It has been the best thing for me. I can’t even tell you how much she has helped me.”
Simpson has been playing sports since she was four years old and lettered in softball, basketball, track, and swimming at North Forsyth High School in Georgia. Having missed two straight seasons at South Carolina, Simpson said there were times she struggled with the idea of making a comeback.
“With the hip, I couldn’t walk for ten weeks,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Softball – University of South Carolina Athletics…