Spotlight on Senior Brittany Sims

It would be a stretch to call the collegiate career of Brittany Sims typical.

A senior infielder occupying second base for the University of Louisville softball team, Sims hasn't taken the path many Division I college athletes have taken to high-level athletic success.

It wasn't until her junior year when Sims began making big-time waves for the Cardinals. In her first two years with the program, Sims saw action but did so sparingly, appearing in 34 of a possible 118 games in that span. It was her 2015 junior campaign that served as her breakout. In her third season, Sims moved into the starting role at second base, starting 43 of the 45 games she appeared in. Totaling 73 putouts on defense, Sims made her mark on the offensive end, where she provided a major spark to the Cardinals' batting order. With a .325 batting average on the season, Sims notched five homeruns – the third-best total on the team – and drove in 15 runs, while posting an on-base percentage of nearly .400.

But it's not that Sims' breakout season came as a junior that makes her story intriguing. After all, upperclassmen make unexpected leaps in various sports across the athletic spectrum with regularity, especially in a sport like softball. What makes Sims' story stand out is the fact that until this season, Sims was a walk-on.

"Earlier this year, Coach just brought me into her office and we were just chatting kind of casually," Sims remembers of the moment U of L softball coach Sandy Pearsall informed her she would remove Sims' walk-on title and offer her a scholarship. "And then in Coach P's nonchalant way she said, 'Oh by the way, we're going to put you on scholarship.' I couldn't believe it. I was really honored."

The scholarship offer was not only a reward for her productive junior season, but served as the culmination of years of hard work and risk. Coming out of Lafayette High School in Lexington, Ky., where she was an All-State performer and Regional MVP as a senior, Sims held scholarship offers from several small Division I schools. Starting tee-ball at the age of four and softball at the age of eight in Lexington, Sims always considered playing softball at the University of Kentucky "the dream." But when the Wildcats did not come knocking, Sims decided to turn down her numerous scholarship offers and try for something more.

Though it came three years late, the scholarship offer from U of L was the "something more" Sims was chasing. The tuition relief, however, was not awarded to Sims solely on the basis of her productive junior season. Rather, as head coach Sandy Pearsall claims, the scholarship offer was prompted by how much Sims has grown to mean to the team as a whole.

"I'm proud of Brittany Sims, not only for the player she is, but for the person she is," Pearsall says. "Brittany has done everything we've asked of her and more, always putting in extra time and effort. Her hard work has paid off and she has definitely earned her position as a starter. She is one of our leaders both on and off the field and is a woman of character."

Climbing the ladder from walk-on to walk-on starter to scholarship player might be enough to laud Sims' U of L career. However, the most impressive aspect of the Brittany Sims story might be that she has accomplished all of this while working her way through the U of L Chemistry program. With hopes of one day becoming a medical doctor, Sims has compiled a 3.87 grade point average through her academic years at Louisville. This has not gone unnoticed by those in charge of recognizing the academic success of student-athletes, as Sims has been named to five different all-academic teams in three seasons, and has been named to the Athletic Director's honor roll and identified as a Dean's Scholar several times over.

"It, for sure, is difficult," Sims says of striking a balance between the rigors of the Chemistry academe and the major time commitment that is high-level softball. "At times it can become overwhelming. You have your scheduled class times and your scheduled practice and workout times, so any time in between has to be planned really well, whether it be eating, or starting a paper that is due in two weeks because you know next week you won't have any time. You have to get ahead when you can."

Sims, however, notes studying chemistry and playing softball in college was the goal all along, no matter the requisite balancing act.

"I knew from the start chemistry is what I wanted to study in college," Sims says without hesitation. "I would say my high school chemistry teacher (was the inspiration). Mr. Matson was awesome. He got me really excited about it, and interested in it. And I knew it would be a good precursor to medical school."

Just as in high school, it has been U of L's faculty keeping Sims excited and passionate about the field. Aside from accommodating Sims by providing extended office hours around her athletic responsibilities, Sims has established personal connections with professors by working closely with them in a lab setting. Specifically, Sims has done work in the lab of Eugene Mueller, who specializes in enzymology.

Wrapping up her undergraduate work at U of L, Sims has begun to shift her focus to medical school, which she has unique motivation to pursue. Speaking candidly of her desire to become a doctor, Sims states: "I would love to become a doctor. More than anything. It's everything I've worked for, but beyond that, it just allows you to help people who aren't able help themselves."

"When I was 12, my aunt passed away from cancer," Sims shares. "More recently, two years ago, my grandma passed away from Alzheimer's disease. Both of those diseases are becoming very prevalent here in the U.S., and both of them really hit close to home for me."

With a couple of months left until Sims completes both her U of L softball career and her undergraduate studies, she has already begun preparing for the next step. Having, applied to several medical schools already, Sims now is forced to wait patiently.

"I'm in the middle of applications right now," Sims says. "Now I'm just waiting to hear back, so hopefully I get a 'yes.'"

"It's most certainly nerve-wracking. The entire process has been nerve-wracking. Going from step to step, you just have to wait and wait. But it's rewarding at the same time. It'll be rewarding when I get accepted."

Sims should have plenty to distract her as she waits, as the Cardinals' softball season is now in full swing. The Cardinals' matchup at No. 15/16 Kentucky was cancelled due to rain, but Louisville will return to action this weekend when Virginia Tech visits Ulmer Stadium for a three-game ACC series.

University of Louisville Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Brittany Sims

Related Videos