Danieca Coffey picking up right where she left off after following season-ending injury

Courtesy of Brendan Baldwin/LSU Athletics

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON ON3.COM/SOFTBALL

March 2, 2024, started as any typical game day for Danieca Coffey. She was coming off a career-best breakout season with a team-high .392 batting average, 74 hits, a .482 on-base percentage, and 12 stolen bases. The start of her senior year was looking no different. 

With a .404 batting average and a 10-game hitting streak, she scored 16 runs, matched her career-high with two home runs, three doubles, and two triples, and led the team with five stolen bases. The leadoff hitter and speedster in the hot corner was seemingly unstoppable. 

During a battle against San Diego State, Coffey and the Tigers were dominating into the fifth inning. Coffey took third base with confidence, as she always does, ready to attack any play that comes her way. With a read on the Aztecs’ bat, Coffey came running down the line to cover a routine bunt but got tangled up with LSU’s former catcher, Hannah Carson. 

The hectic play resulted in Coffey being unable to get back on her feet and needing help off the field. It wasn’t long after that the Tigers would find out the season was over for one of their best. An ACL tear diagnosis to her left knee would sideline her, leaving the rest of the team lost without her bat and defensive expertise.  

“It was very hurtful (to be out),” Coffey said. “I immediately tried to find a positive out of the situation, and it was kind of a blessing in disguise for me so I could graduate and start working on my master’s. But sometimes, I used to feel like, dang, they could really use my at-bat right now. I wish I could have one at-bat off this pitcher.” 

Since she played less than 30 games, Coffey found relief knowing she could still get her last collegiate year back as a redshirt. But the journey to returning to her peak performance was one long road. 

With six months of recovery, Coffey couldn’t fully play until nearly the end of the fall season. She had to take everything one at a time, like learning to walk again, squat, and jog. By the time practice started again for the Tigers, Coffey was itching to do something on the diamond, even if it meant being unable to give 100% of her body. As a slapper, being unable to run out of the box was the biggest heartbreak, but she strengthened her hitting until she got the all-clear from her trainers. 

“At three months, the team was taking groundballs at the field, and I started taking just straight-up ground balls, not moving side-to-side,” Coffey said. “All fall, the only thing I could do was hit and bunt, and I didn’t get to power slap or high chop. That was hard for me because something I automatically go to is power slapping. I had to stick with hitting and figure it out because I couldn’t move my legs in the box.” 

Throughout rehab, Coffey found herself really cherishing the game. Never having been injured before made her realize how fragile life can be. While sitting in the dugout watching her team play, unable to contribute, she knew that when she took the field fully recovered, she would give every last drop of effort she could muster. 

And the veteran surely didn’t miss a beat. 

Since February, Coffey and the Tigers have been undeniably good. Coffey is arguably one of the best leadoff hitters in the country. She currently sits fifth the SEC with a .461 batting average and first with a .615 on-base percentage.

“I had a lot more to give than I thought I had to,” Coffey said. “I thought before I got hurt that I was giving my all. When relearning how to walk and jog, I told myself I wouldn’t take it for granted anymore. I learned that normal rough days aren’t really rough days.” 

Assistant coach Sandra Moton, who works closely with Coffey on fielding, is astonished by the way she has returned to such a high level of success. The resilience within Coffey is different from many athletes who experience season-ending injuries. 

“She took on this injury in such a cool way,” Moton said. “A lot of people (would) take it on in a hesitant way and get scared to go back out and do what they were doing. We never saw any of that. We saw a fearless athlete who just wanted to play softball. She took (rehab) on full force. She didn’t miss a day; she was doing the extra, pushing herself, pushing the doctors, and pushing the physical therapists to get her going faster. And adamant that she didn’t want to not do the things her team was doing.”

Working diligently in recovery, both mentally and physically, has paid off tremendously for Coffey. In her last year, collecting accolades doesn’t matter as much as leading her team to victory and fighting for a chance in the World Series does. Before her injury, she would get caught up in her head frequently. Now, she is finding the key to success is quitting looking internally and putting her team first.

“What you deserve will come to you, so I try not to think about the batting average and the accolades,” Coffey said. “I want to focus on the team and what the team needs from me, and then if I do everything I am supposed to do, those (accolades) will come for me. When you are focused on yourself, it is hard because you are not bringing anyone with you, and you need to bring people with you to be successful.”