It was like any other day before a game when senior Sammy Cordova, heard and felt a pop in her knee and went down.
The University of Utah softball team was in Cathedral City, Calif. playing in the Mary Nutter Classic against San Diego State on Feb. 26, and right before the game, Cordova was warming up before her coaches called the team meeting.
“I was at home plate and I was going for a ball to my left,” Cordova said. “I caught the ball, stopped and planted, and it was like my leg hyperextended. I was really emotional after that. I was able to get off the field, but I was just out of it for the rest of the day. I just remember catching the ball and slowly, I felt the pain coming as my adrenaline went down.”
Cordova tore her ACL, she also had a double meniscal tear — medial and lateral — and her senior season came to an abrupt end. Head coach Amy Hogue said seeing Cordova go down not only broke her heart, but it was a loss the whole team immediately felt.
This kind of injury is one Hogue would never wish upon anyone, so watching a senior like Cordova, who Hogue thinks is the most selfless player on the team, was painful, but it’s an injury that comes with the territory.
“I think it is just a part of what this game, or any sport really, dishes out sometimes. But I think she is handling it really well,” Hogue said. “She is still giving to her team that same way [she]did before, which is incredible.”
Since Cordova isn’t playing on the diamond this season, she has taken on a different role for her team — being as supportive as she can off the diamond. Cordova said she is trying to be the best teammate she can, and she does this by staying engaged during practice and games. This way, she can provide as much advice as possible to her teammates.
“I’ve kind of become an extra leader because all I can do is watch so, I really try to focus on the little things during the games and help my teammates any way I can,” Cordova said. “I try to give them any kind of feedback, good or bad, like what they can work on or what they are doing great at.”
This is a role Cordova has always taken upon herself according to Hogue, and she has always been that player behind-the-scenes who is lifting the team’s spirits. Hogue added that Cordova is in tune with the group, and she knows what each player needs. Spending the time it takes to build those relationships, Hogue said Cordova is there to help in any way she can.
A term the team uses often is “plug into people,” because no one is on their own, and it has become Cordova’s motto for this season. She tells her teammates that if they need someone to vent to or someone just to talk to, they can plug into her.
“Each teammate has each other’s backs so, when we are plugged into someone, we’re communicating with that person like what we want to do better, asking for help and those kinds of things,” Cordova said.
Since this is her last year at Utah, the possibility of redshirting is still up in the air. Although Cordova would love to come back next season and play, she is ready to graduate after this season, and she understands that there is more to life than just softball.
Despite the uncertainty of next season, Cordova is focusing on taking things one step at a time, and the first thing on the agenda is making sure her knee is healthy. Cordova had surgery in early April and is currently going through rehab and treatment.
“[My knee] has been straight for the most part, but I’m trying to get that bending motion back,” Cordova said. “I have to go a little bit slower in how much I’m bending right now, but I’m slowly getting into that. Right now I’m just doing little things, but important things.”
While it will take about six weeks before Cordova can start walking on her leg again, Hogue is confident that with Cordova’s mindset and attitude, she will be as good as new in no time.
“I know that her surgery was pretty intense,” Hogue said. “She did a number on [her knee], so it is going to be a lot of hard work, which Sammy is real good at so, I’m not afraid of her getting the work done.”
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