The past five months have been somewhat of a rollercoaster for Nicole Mendes.
First, she tore her ACL in October. Then, after months of rehab, the senior stepped back into the batter’s box as a pinch hitter in late February. Still in the recovery process, Mendes was transitioning into the role of designated player, only to see the season canceled a few days later due to the spread of COVID-19.
But through the ups and downs the 2020 season brought, Mendes displayed her consistent work ethic and continued to grow as both a player and person.
Once the initial shock of her injury wore off, Mendes started focusing on her future goals – getting back on the field with her OU teammates for her senior year and preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics as a member of the Mexican National Team.
She quickly realized she could not think too far ahead though, or she would feel stressed out and worried about aspects she could not control. At the advice of OU’s former strength coach, Mendes learned to take it one day at a time and focus on little goals along the way. Even though she’s faced frustration and “breakdown moments” during her recovery, this mindset has brought a peace of mind during struggles.
It was also challenging to watch others around her play softball when she could not do the same, but Mendes also found pride in seeing how much her teammates improved.
“As frustrating as it was personally for me to watch and not be able to play, it was also almost equally as rewarding to see this team from where we started in the fall to how far we’ve come and how far we’ve progressed,” Mendes shared.
First, she tore her ACL in October. Then, after months of rehab, the senior stepped back into the batter’s box as a pinch hitter in late February. Still in the recovery process, Mendes was transitioning into the role of designated player, only to see the season canceled a few days later due to the spread of COVID-19.
But through the ups and downs the 2020 season brought, Mendes displayed her consistent work ethic and continued to grow as both a player and person.
Once the initial shock of her injury wore off, Mendes started focusing on her future goals – getting back on the field with her OU teammates for her senior year and preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics as a member of the Mexican National Team.
She quickly realized she could not think too far ahead though, or she would feel stressed out and worried about aspects she could not control. At the advice of OU’s former strength coach, Mendes learned to take it one day at a time and focus on little goals along the way. Even though she’s faced frustration and “breakdown moments” during her recovery, this mindset has brought a peace of mind during struggles.
It was also challenging to watch others around her play softball when she could not do the same, but Mendes also found pride in seeing how much her teammates improved.
“As frustrating as it was personally for me to watch and not be able to play, it was also almost equally as rewarding to see this team from where we started in the fall to how far we’ve come and how far we’ve progressed,” Mendes shared.
As frustrating as it was personally for me to watch and not be able to play, it was also almost equally as rewarding to see this team from where we started in the fall to how far we’ve come and how far we’ve progressed..." |
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The Sooners have also provided a strong support system for Mendes. From teammates tossing her balls in the cage so she could do one-armed swings, to others scheduling hang outs to get her mind off of softball and her knee, to those she was in a Bible study offering encouragement on the tougher days, Mendes is grateful for the community around her.
Mendes’ work ethic is obvious to her coaches and teammates, both before the injury and during the rehab process. OU head coach Patty Gasso said Mendes’ personality and competitive spirit are two traits that rub off on others, and ones the Sooners missed on the field.
“She was voted by the team as our captain. That means that there’s something about you that makes players around you better, and that’s I think what they felt. Even when she’s not on the field, she’s still trying to help make teammates better,” Gasso stated. “She put in a lot of work and a lot of time in the training room … When it was tough, she went through it. She probably was pushing it to a point of too much at times, but that’s just her passion and her work ethic.”
When Grace Green came to OU as a freshman last season, Mendes made her feel welcome, which helped ease her nerves. Green has also found it helpful watching the example the upperclassman sets.
“Even when she struggled, she never got down. Her attitude always stayed amazing, so she was just an overall great role model and person you could lean on,” Green explained. “Even though she wasn’t on the field, she was always around, always helping, always in getting her rehab.”
Mendes’ work ethic is obvious to her coaches and teammates, both before the injury and during the rehab process. OU head coach Patty Gasso said Mendes’ personality and competitive spirit are two traits that rub off on others, and ones the Sooners missed on the field.
“She was voted by the team as our captain. That means that there’s something about you that makes players around you better, and that’s I think what they felt. Even when she’s not on the field, she’s still trying to help make teammates better,” Gasso stated. “She put in a lot of work and a lot of time in the training room … When it was tough, she went through it. She probably was pushing it to a point of too much at times, but that’s just her passion and her work ethic.”
When Grace Green came to OU as a freshman last season, Mendes made her feel welcome, which helped ease her nerves. Green has also found it helpful watching the example the upperclassman sets.
“Even when she struggled, she never got down. Her attitude always stayed amazing, so she was just an overall great role model and person you could lean on,” Green explained. “Even though she wasn’t on the field, she was always around, always helping, always in getting her rehab.”
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Mendes recorded a single on March 1 in her third at-bat of the season. In total, she made six plate appearances and tallied three hits – two of which were home runs – with five RBI before the season was cut short on March 12. As disappointing as this abrupt halt was, Mendes said it was the right decision because public safety takes a front seat. The Houston, Texas, native also plans to return to OU next season, whether she redshirts or the NCAA grants additional eligibility for seniors. |
The night before the remainder of the season was canceled, the team had a potluck at Gasso’s house. After the meal, a couple of the Sooners were baptized, and seeing how happy and joyful they were in that moment will stick with Mendes from this shortened season.
“It’s more than just softball. It’s about the relationships and the memories that you make,” Mendes reflected. “Whenever you talk about teams in the past, they never talk about the win-loss record, they always talk about the memories they made along the way. And despite the season coming to a quick end, way shorter than anyone would have expected, I think this team made some really cool memories, and for that to be our last one as a team, I thought it was really something special to be a part of.”
Through this journey, Mendes said she has learned three key lessons. The first is patience and how it really works, not only with herself but others and how others show it to her. Another is that there are different ways to lead. As someone who has always led by example, Mendes found ways to be creative as captain when she was unable to show results on the field and focused on connecting and building relationships with her teammates. Finally, Mendes realized that life doesn’t always happen the way we plan it or want it to.
“It doesn’t matter what the situation, how the situation happens, what matters is how you to choose to react to it … It means so much to me that despite all the moments where I was down, I was able to kind of say, ‘OK, life happens, but how are you going to react to it?’”
“It’s more than just softball. It’s about the relationships and the memories that you make,” Mendes reflected. “Whenever you talk about teams in the past, they never talk about the win-loss record, they always talk about the memories they made along the way. And despite the season coming to a quick end, way shorter than anyone would have expected, I think this team made some really cool memories, and for that to be our last one as a team, I thought it was really something special to be a part of.”
Through this journey, Mendes said she has learned three key lessons. The first is patience and how it really works, not only with herself but others and how others show it to her. Another is that there are different ways to lead. As someone who has always led by example, Mendes found ways to be creative as captain when she was unable to show results on the field and focused on connecting and building relationships with her teammates. Finally, Mendes realized that life doesn’t always happen the way we plan it or want it to.
“It doesn’t matter what the situation, how the situation happens, what matters is how you to choose to react to it … It means so much to me that despite all the moments where I was down, I was able to kind of say, ‘OK, life happens, but how are you going to react to it?’”
Story written by Chelsey Kraft. Photos - Joshua Gateley and Ty Russell.
Video property of the University of Oklahoma.
Video property of the University of Oklahoma.
