For athletes like Andrea Bombace recovering from season-ending injuries, the mind matters

UPDATED: Feb. 27, 2018 at 5:50 p.m.

Four innings into Andrea Bombace’s sophomore debut, on Feb. 10, 2017, she knocked a two-run home run to claim a 6-4 lead over East Carolina in Syracuse’s season opener.

The Orange won 9-6 and Bombace, following a four RBI season debut, seemed poised to build on her nine home run, 27 RBI freshman campaign when SU finished 27-26.

But four days later, on Valentine’s Day, in the midst of one of SU’s final fielding drills, Bombace tore her ACL.

The injury forced her to slide backward to the first time she took the field, before throwing 63 miles-per-hour in an eighth grade combine, faster than any other competitor; before committing to Syracuse (7-5) in ninth grade; before falling in love with softball over basketball and soccer.

“The feeling, it was confusing,” Bombace said. “But tough, because you’re dealing with getting told you might not be able to play the game that you love for a long period of time.”

Bombace’s nine-month recovery proved more mental than physical. Enduring the separation from her teammates on the field was harder than the rehab she had to undergo.

She’s returned to the field in 2018, batting 1-for-13 over seven games, four as designated hitter, two as a pinch hitter and one at first base. She also received a redshirt, granting her sophomore status, her father, George Bombace, said.

He remembers the call he received one year ago. His daughter said four words: “I got injured today.” On March 9, she’d undergo surgery facing the unknown. Not knowing if she’d get her year of eligibility, or more importantly her ability to play, back, the uncertainty overtook her pain.

Bombace’s mother, Joy, moved in with her in Syracuse for a few weeks following the operation to bring her to doctor’s appointments and rehab. The recovery continued beyond that period, with Joy periodically visiting as the initial 10-12 month prediction for her healing decreased to nine.

As the team moved on without Bombace, Faith Cain said the players knew without instruction they’d need to escalate their play. Cain and Sydney O’Hara, who’d embarked on a career year, batting .476 and earning national attention, were forced to fill Bombace’s first base role.

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O’Hara, who had played only one season at first base since turning 12, was stunned by the development. She soured at the thought of the infield, but relating to the impact her forearm injury had on her sophomore season, filled Bombace’s spot anyway.

Unable to travel with the team over the next three months, Bombace spent more time with trainers than her squad.

“I got so stir-crazy,” she said. “It was insane. I wanted to do this, this and this, and I knew I couldn’t do that. I had to keep myself busy because being away from softball was definitely the biggest downfall.”

Head coach Mike Bosch reminded Bombace to live in the process, to slow down and appreciate the moment instead of the overall long road that faced her. That included countless days in the training room, 12 road trips she could not join and a period where she wasn’t allowed in the dugout at home games, her father said.

That, Bombace said, made her appreciate the sport in a new way.

“Being in the moment brought me back to the little girl who loved the game first,” she said.

Dr. Jarrod Spencer, a sports psychologist with Mind of the Athlete, LLC, works with Olympic, professional, collegiate and high school athletes, according to his website. He said in general players usually enter the five stages of grief when they suffer a season-ending injury: shock, denial, anger, bargaining and acceptance.

“The loneliest place in sports is the trainer’s room,” he said. “For many injured athletes, that’s where you spend a lot of time while your teammates are practicing and moving forward, and it’s just lonely. You miss out on a lot of the fun and the conversations that would naturally keep you a little bit more connected.”

Courtesy of SU Athletics

Spencer lauded Dr. Bryan Hainline, the NCAA’s chief medical officer, for acknowledging mental health as the top issue affecting college athletes. But Spencer added there’s more work to be done in expressing that it’s OK for athletes to admit they aren’t fine mentally following injuries.

“There’s still a stereotype out there toward mental health, a stigma out there toward mental health,” Spencer said. “All across the country, we’re doing a better job of beginning to tear that down. But it’s going to take time, it’s going to take more energy and effort.”

He expressed the need for support groups, so athletes like Bombace can connect with fellow competitors attempting to return from injuries. Psychologists meeting with coaches, signs in the facilities and administration initiative are key, too, he said.

“The sports medicine staff refers student-athletes to the athletic department’s sponsored counselor,” a Syracuse Athletics spokesperson said of SU’s policy via email. “There is not a formal support group.”

Rejoining her team in the dugout became Bombace’s therapy.

She coached O’Hara and Cain through first base fundamentals from the bench during home games while the Orange rolled to a 31-19 record. When O’Hara left her heel on the bag, Bombace urged against it, so she wouldn’t get injured by a runner crossing first. Bombace yelled to Cain, pointing out where she had to be for coverage on various plays. She assumed a role of coach more than player.

But still, a sense of separation persisted.

“It’s really tough to stay connected because you can’t play with them,” said O’Hara, now an assistant softball coach with Le Moyne College.

Bosch spoke with trainers often, because they met with Bombace more than he did. O’Hara had to FaceTime and text her to make her feel involved on road trips. Bombace’s father urged her to do more than required in each step of her physical recovery. She heard everything except the announcement of her name in the at-bat circle she missed.

“Losing the whole last year was very hard on (Bombace),” her father said. “It took a toll on her emotionally … but she accepted it … almost nine months of not swinging, not throwing, not seeing pitches come in. It’s a lot.”

To help, O’Hara met Bombace at Syracuse coffee shops during home stands while Bombace attended home games and practices, but could not participate.

Alexa Romero and Hailey Archuleta, who Bombace said entered this season coming off an injury, too, supported her. They addressed her concerns and helped her around her apartment, she said.

“They were my support system,” Bombace said.

Bombace is still reacquainting herself with the movements of softball, and doesn’t sense she’s fully back yet. But she’s taking the comeback slowly, getting used to seeing pitches come in again and trying to re-establish what she’s done her whole life.

She hasn’t left the yard in a game in more than a year, but simply returning to the field has brought a smile back to her face.

“It’s basically starting back from zero,” Bombace said. “When you first start playing softball, you have to start from zero, you can’t go to 100, so you have to go back through the movements, back through the practices, back through the drills that you know best and you hope it’ll help you in the end. It’s a grind, definitely a grind.”

CLARIFICATION: In a previous version of this post, Alexa Romero’s injury status entering the current softball season was unclear.