Carly Compton’s passion for softball was sparked at a young age, as it’s something she’s always been surrounded by. Inspired by her dad, who played for the Houston Astros, the sport came to be second nature.
“I was always around it and just always talking about it with him,” said Compton
Compton started playing around the age of six, and this early exposure set the foundation for her future in the sport. Beginning this fall, she will join the team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The journey from childhood softball to being recruited by a Division One program was anything but easy.
“It was definitely really mentally tough,” said Compton. “I had to become very tough from the sport and just realize how bad I wanted it. It was stressful because it’s like what you want from the time that you start. So it was definitely hard, but it was a really good journey. I think it taught me a lot of lessons.”
Compton faced numerous challenges along the way, particularly dealing with negativity and maintaining focus. She came to realize the amount of effort involved with having a positive attitude, and admitting that you’re not always going to be great, allowed her to enjoy the sport even more.
“There was definitely a lot of adversity, just really trying to have tunnel vision with it, not really listening to outside sources or people. There’s a lot of negative people, especially when you’re younger and first starting the journey,” said Compton. “One day you’re gonna have a really good day, and then some days you’re gonna have a really bad day […] but just really overcoming that and realizing that you’re gonna have bad days, but that doesn’t define you.”
Balancing academics and athletics is another significant challenge, especially with the demands of a D1 program.
“Time management is a really big part of that,” Compton says. “Even in our training and stuff, there are a lot of different ways they train us in order to just manage everything.”
Compton’s journey is a testament to resilience and dedication. From being inspired by her dad to overcoming countless challenges, she has shown that with hard work and determination, dreams can become a reality.
“Even though it can be overwhelming, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Compton.
