Twenty games into the spring season, Seminole State College Lady Trojans utility player Teryn Pritchett discovered the rest of her season would be suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I went from being surrounded by my team, my friends and so many people I see as family to coming to my hometown, where I have minimal friends and not much to do,” Pritchett said.
The Lady Trojans opened their spring season strong with a win-loss record of 18-2. Early in the season, the team was ranked number one in the NJCAA. Pritchett played a key role in the team’s success with a batting average of .478, five homeruns and 18 runs batted in.
In March, Pritchett left Seminole and returned to her hometown of Palmer, Texas. At first, she struggled to adapt to her new reality.
“Softball was my outlet for anger, for stress, for sadness,” Pritchett said. “Upset? Go crush a ball as far as you can. Angry? Go do some burnouts until your legs feel like they’re going to fall off.”
Pritchett felt lost when she returned home. She credited practice and game days as instrumental in her mental and physical well-being. She needed a way to pull herself out of a rut.
“I decided to take on a full-time job at a sand plant and prioritized spending time with my family outside of work. I’ve missed so much quality time with them over the years being a collegiate athlete. This situation has made me sit back and truly see how easily we get caught up in everyday life,” Pritchett said.
Pritchett graduated from SSC in May with an associate’s degree in Psychology and an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts.
“I can definitely say what someone takes from this pandemic depends on their mindset. You can learn from this and grow, or you can lay down and give up. I have turned my mindset around and grown from it. God does everything for a reason, and I’m just trusting in him that something great is coming,” Pritchett said.
In the fall, Pritchett will attend the University of Texas – Arlington, where she will continue playing softball.