Inside Pitch: Florida State-Bound 2023 Slugger Jaysoni Beachum on Managing Injuries… “Don’t Let a Setback Set YOU Back!”

Florida State-committed 3B/C Jaysoni Beachum, #12 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100, is one of the top power hitters in the country and is also on Extra Inning Softball’s team of bloggers.

Here are some of her contributions to our Inside Pitch series (click on the links to access the articles):

• Inside Pitch: 2023 Extra Elite 100 Power Slugger Jaysoni Beachum, a Florida State Commit, on “Finding the Right Fit”
• 2023 Extra Elite 100 Infielder Jaysoni Beachum… “Why I Committed to Florida State”
• Inside Pitch: The Beautiful Story Behind Jaysoni Beachum’s Name Change

The senior, who previously played for Houston Academy High of Dothan, Alabama, showed her strength last year when she belted 80 home runs during the Kasey Cooper Home Run Derby at the Dothan Diamond Classic before event organizers said: “No mas.” (Click HERE to read that story)

Jaysoni won’t have far to travel when she heads to college, either, as she and her family have moved to Tallahassee, Florida and she’s attending Florida State University Schools, a high school in collaboration with Florida State.

Here’s more from this amazing power-hitter as she took some time out to talk about dealing with injuries for her latest “Inside Pitch.”

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It’s Jaysoni Beachum. I play for TN Mojo Danley/Fisher and here’s my latest blog about my injury this summer where I played with a broken hand and fractured wrist and still hit 11 home runs, produced a .463 batting average and a .559 on-base percentage and knocked in 45 RBIs.

I basically want to encourage athletes to not get down on themselves if they experience an injury; that’s why this “Inside Pitch” I title…

Don’t Let a Setback Set YOU Back

One of the things athletes never want to happen in their career is injury. We all know that an injury can occur while playing sports. However, when an injury occurs, especially one that causes the player to stop playing the sport they love, it becomes devastating.

I’ve played softball since I was four years old, and I can definitely say I have had my share of cuts, bruises, scrapes, jams, and so on.

This past Spring/Summer season, however, was the first time (and hopefully the last) I have been injured to the point that it required surgery.

I begin to notice a nagging ache in my hand and wrist area at the beginning of this past summer. I thought nothing of it because, as athletes, we can agree that something is always sore or hurting on our bodies.

I even thought I had slept awkwardly, and this was the result.  I kept playing because it didn’t affect my game at the time. I continued to field and hit with no problem. I just experienced pain.

As the summer went along, I noticed the pain in my hand and wrist was not going away.  I eventually told my parents because the swelling kept coming back after icing. My hand was getting to the place where I could no longer grip the bat.  My parents immediately felt I needed to see a doctor.

The pain began to become unbearable for the first time at a tournament we were playing in Tennessee. Our family physician was nowhere close, so we had to see a doctor there.  It was a Saturday, and there were no MRIs available.  The doctor there said they couldn’t tell the extent of the injury without having an MRI.

By this time, PGF Nationals was coming up, and I didn’t want to miss playing in this tournament.  We didn’t know what was going on with my hand, so we went to the doctor basically begging for a bionic hand to help me get through PGF.

The doctor told me without an MRI, he couldn’t give an adequate diagnosis.  I’m thinking to myself: “What’s so special about MRI’s why can’t I go get one today?”

It was explained to us that it takes some time getting an MRI ordered. He said it would take a few days before I could get one scheduled.

Immediately I thought, I don’t have that amount of time to wait. PGF was starting that next week, and I wanted to play! The doctor did everything he could to help me get through PGF, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.  I had one at-bat in bracket play.  I hit a home run, but the repercussions from that hit was unbearable.

As soon as we got home from California we went to the orthopedic specialist and had the MRI completed. The next day, we got the results of the MRI.  It displayed that I broke the “hook of hamate” in my left hand and fractured my wrist. I was not happy, but the doctor, with confidence, relayed to me that he would have my hand good as new.  I would be using my hand again soon and with no problems.

The surgery was successful, and I’m on the road to recovery.

I didn’t take any pain medication, because I didn’t want to be pinned to the bed and drowsy all the time.  Work can still be done. I’m still working out, hitting (top hand drills), throwing, and doing all I can daily until full recovery.

I want to encourage anyone that is going through an injury, or if you ever do, try to be as positive as you can. Don’t look for an excuse to stop. Look for ways to keep your routine as much as possible.

I know it sucks, but healing is not only physical, but also mental.  The whole “Mind over Matter” saying really is true! Having a great support system definitely helps, too, but in the end, YOU have to make the decision to not allow injury to defeat you.

Here are 3 ways to help deal with injury:

1. Follow the recovery process… Don’t skip steps.
2. Focus on the comeback and not the injury. Remember you tell your body what to do, not your body tell you what to do.
3. Stay positive.A bad attitude only sets you back.

—Jaysoni Beachum