With her high school days coming to close, one of the top softball players in the nation at any age division, pitcher/infielder Kassidy Krupit of Lambert High in Suwanee, Georgia can now start to look back on a softball career that has seen her accomplish just about every goal she could have ever dreamed of reaching.
A three-time All-State honoree, Regional Player of the Year and County Pitcher of the Year, the signee to the Univ. of Delaware reached a PGF Nationals championship game and has set several school records in her prep career including shutouts in a season (13) and single-season ERA (0.82).
She also wields a dangerous bat and hit .580 this past fall for her East Cobb Bullets team coached by Greg Schnute, who says of his prized senior: “Kassidy is always smiling and enjoying life. She almost works too hard and too much as she’s a competitor, but she’s delightful to have on our team.”
But it hasn’t come easy and in this first-person account Kassidy talks about a trio of obstacles she had to surmount to end up the success she is today.
Here’s an Extra Inning Softball exclusive as Kassidy talks about how she’s faced adversity and come out a better person—and player—for it…
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“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”— Muhammad Ali.
He is exactly right and my way of translating this is to take on your biggest challenges or obstacles coming your way.
When I was 10-years-old, I faced the biggest obstacle of my life, tearing my ACL and breaking my tibia sliding into third base during a softball game.
I thought this injury would inhibit me from continuing to do what I love, which is playing softball. I had to continuously go to physical therapy for about a year. I not only had to prepare physically to get back on the field, but I had to prepare mentally.
My physical therapist told me that many (approximately 85%) athletes don’t return to the field after an injury like this, but that just motivated me even more to start playing again. I was never going to let a stupid, yet challenging, injury stop me from doing what I love.
I prepared physically and mentally and eventually got back on the field.
Not much later, I found myself back in the same physical therapy clinic, but this time it was for a different obstacle. My arm had been hurting bad and it was to the point where I couldn’t brush my hair—it hurt that much.
I was diagnosed with small tears in my rotator cuff and with tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), golfers’ elbow (medial epicondylitis), bursitis, and radial tunnel syndrome. Yes, that is an abundance of injuries for only one arm but hey, I am a pitcher!
The even worse part of this was that I was going through the recruiting process at this time (8th– 9th grade). I therefore didn’t have a choice, but to pitch through all these injuries at a lot of camps and college showcases with a great quantity of pain.
In addition to my arm injuries, another obstacle hit me at the same exact time.
I was told I wasn’t tall enough to pitch at some of my dream schools; not only that, but I wasn’t left-handed either. Some coaches had their mind set about what they wanted in a pitcher when I walked onto their campus after wasting money and my time.
After a couple of stressful recruiting years with my arm injuries and physical obstacles, I trusted Christ and pushed through it. I took a couple of weeks off for my arm to heal (at least some) and worked my butt off to earn scholarship offers from a choice of top notch schools.
Even though I still had pain in my arm and was still being told “You’re too short” or “You’re not left handed,” it wasn’t going to stop me from still trusting God and pushing through this process.
Even though I had some offers, they still weren’t the ideal schools I was looking for. It’s was big choice in my life and I wanted to make the right decision where there was a mutual appreciation between them—the coaches and environment—loving me and me loving the school.
Eventually, I made the best decision of my life and decided to commit to the University of Delaware, the No. 1 Physical Therapy school in the nation!
I chose Physical Therapy because of the influence it’s had on me, helping me push through these challenges. The winter after I committed, I finally was able to take time off from pitching so my arm could fully heal.
I’m back now, all healed up after pitching my high school team to a state championship appearance the fall after I took three months off the previous winter for my arm to heal.
From tearing my ACL to injuring my arm badly to being told I wasn’t tall enough or left-handed all taught me life lessons.
If you want something so freaking badly, you have to earn all of it by pushing through your biggest obstacles along the way.
That’s the biggest life lesson I have ever learned and will ever learn and this whole process has made me a better person every day and it still is.
I still have goals I’m GOING to achieve!
— Kassidy
