Deanna Henriott’s Path to Stardom Has Been Full of Success

Like many collegiate and professional athletes, it all started at the age of four or five for University of Tampa senior softball standout Deanna Henriott. The youngest of four, Henriott said "growing up, I watched my three siblings play competitive sports."

Her two brothers were both soccer players in high school, although they went on to college and played Division I football at Coast Guard University and Jacksonville State University.

Henriott says most of her inspiration came from her sister, whom was a talented softball player growing up and is now in the hall of fame at her former institution, Milligan College. "My sister was my mentor growing up, I wasn't a great player as a kid, I wasn't even good," says Henriott with some laughter. With the guidance of her sister, Henriott never stopped striving for success. Now the University of Tampa's most successful pitcher in its program history, Henriott looks back and tells about her road to success.

A St. Petersburg, Fla., native, Henriott was a four time letterman and played for Tommy Fabian at St. Petersburg Catholic High School. Henriott said, "everything started coming together my sophomore year of high school, it just clicked and that's when my confidence shot through the roof."

From then on the St. Pete native's stats say the rest. After Henriott's sophomore year she had allocated a .342 batting average and a 1.12 Earned run average (ERA) which ranked second in the county while being named second team all-county. Henriott's junior season made headlines and proved that she was only excelling. Her junior season she was named first team-all-county, collecting a 19-4 record with 333 strikeouts while hurling five no-hitters.

Her most impressive stat to add to an already stellar year was when Henriott threw back-to-back perfect games. Her senior year was no different for Henriott. She would go on and dominate concluding the season with a 19-2 record with 256 strikeouts and a 0.06 ERA while being awarded the 2007 Pinellas County Player of the Year award. She hurled 11 shutouts, and five no -hitters, with one of her no-hitters coming against Berkeley Prep helping her team advance to the district final.

As the time drew closer from Henriott to make a decision on where she will take her talents, the thought about playing Division I never entered her mind. Explaining that she had offers from North Carolina Chapel Hill, Mississippi State, and South Florida, she knew Division II is what she wanted to play.

She said "I was committed to the University of Tampa the beginning of my junior year, but nothing was set in stone. My parents wanted me to make sure that was the correct decision and I still had a year until I was allowed to fully commit." Remaining confident that Spartan softball was for her, Henriott's cousin played softball at nearby Saint Leo University. "She left her senior year, and if she hadn't left I think I would have committed there instead of Tampa", says Henriott.

Now the best pitcher in Spartan history, Henriott said her career here has been one of a kind, from learning on and off the field. Time management is hard to any freshman, but to an athlete it is the most difficult thing to master in your career as a student-athlete. "Playing a sport while attending university is a full-time job, and it took me a while to learn how to juggle my workload while having a practice, game, or workouts everyday", says Henriott.

At the end of her freshman year, when her grades were posted, she found that she was a more accomplished student in season. Henriott explains, "knowing what time I had practice or games, I was able to schedule when I had time to do my school work and it became a routine for me."

As time went on, Henriott never looked back and was excelling as a pitcher. She was making the transition from high school to college with ease. Henriott was learning how to incorporate the mentality of being an effective and smart pitcher and not only a hard throwing pitcher. "Along with throwing hard, I am more of a mental pitcher now. My coaches have taught me that every pitch counts and how I have to approach every hitter differently, and that it is not about throwing every ball by them," explains Henriott.

Everything came to a stop Henriott's junior year as she tore a labrum in her hip and was required to have a hip arthroscopy to repair it. Forced to medical redshirt, nobody knew the next step for Henriott as this injury rarely occurs to young athletes. "I didn't know if I was going to pitch again, the doctors didn't even know. My injury usually happens to older people and not many cases have been like mine at my age as an athlete" says Henriott.

It was difficult for Henriott as the process for recovery was six months, and with an uncertainty of being able to pitch again made it even more difficult yet frustrating. UT coach Leslie Kanter would end up being her savior during the road to recovery sending her motivational quotes via text. Henriott shares that her favorite text was, "strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

The day finally came where Henriott was able to set foot on the mound again for the first time in over year, and led off right where she ended. Facing Bowie State, Henriott threw a five inning perfect game for the first time in her college career. "It is my most memorable moment in my life, I would have been happy with just the win and to throw a perfect game after not knowing a year ago if I could pitch again, it was just unbelievable", says Henriott.

Graduating in less than one week, Henriott says she has grown as an individual. She has done it all over her career here minus two goals. "I have juggled school and work, I have lived out of a bag for a full season between work and softball, and I have loved every second of it" says Henriott.

Almost accomplishing everything that she could ask for, she has thrown five no-hitters and perfect game under her belt. Two goals remaining, Henriott and her team are well on the way to accomplishing them. "I would love to be a part of the programs second conference title, and would love to win a national championship", says Henriott. With only one weekend left in the season, as of now Henriott will accomplish her first goal and help the program to its second title.

Written by Heath Pritchard