FS Southside pitcher battles through injuries, perseveres

West All Star softball player Andee Tiffee (center) overcame an elbow injury before her sophomore season and a knee injury before her junior year to total 347 strikeouts this season in helping Fort Smith Southside to the Class 7A state tournament.
West All Star softball player Andee Tiffee (center) overcame an elbow injury before her sophomore season and a knee injury before her junior year to total 347 strikeouts this season in helping Fort Smith Southside to the Class 7A state tournament.

CONWAY -- Andee Tiffee suffered an elbow injury before her sophomore season and blew out a knee the following year, but there was no quit in the Fort Smith Southside softball pitcher.

Tonight, the 6-0 left-hander will participate for the West All-Stars in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star softball game at Farris Field.

"With all the injuries, it taught me a lot of about hard work and attitude," said Tiffee, who started every game in the circle for Southside this season. "They taught me to keep my composure and that having fun was a big part of playing. It's something I realize I might not have the rest of my life. It could have been taken away from me. I'm very blessed to be playing."

Tiffee suffered both of her injuries while playing volleyball. During the summer before her sophomore year, she collided with another player and the resulting injury forced her to undergo Tommy John surgery to replace a ligament in her elbow. She managed to play softball her sophomore season, but did not pitch. The next year she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to her knee and missed her entire junior softball season.

"She has always been a strong-willed, dedicated kid," Southside Coach Cassy Story said. "And it takes a strong-minded person to overcome the injuries she had. But there was no hesitation on her part and it speaks volumes about her character."

Tiffee racked up 347 strikeouts this season, an average of 11.2 per game. She proved to be almost unhittable in her first two games during the Class 7A state tournament. She struck out all 15 batters in a perfect game performance against Little Rock Central in the first round and she struck out the first eight batters against Van Buren in the quarterfinals.

"[The perfect game] made my heart feel good," said Tiffee, who also compiled a .545 batting average during her senior season. "There was a lot of work leading up to that. I didn't get to pitch for two years. I think that made up for lost time."

"She pitched like she had a fire under her," Story said. "And she wanted to do what was best for the team. She wanted to be a leader."

Despite the lack of playing time during her sophomore and junior seasons, Tiffee did not go unnoticed. She has signed to play at the University of Missouri at St. Louis and said she plans to major in nursing.

Tiffee is obviously pleased that she stuck with softball.

"[Quitting] might have crossed my mind a little when my parents said, 'Are you sure this is what you want to do because there's going to be a lot of rehab?' " Tiffee said. "I thought about playing volleyball my senior year, but I didn't want to get hurt again. I decided to stick with softball. I thought with a lot of hard work, maybe I'll be back for my senior year."

"Her confidence is something you can't teach," Story said. "She's like nobody else I've ever coached. She's very, very strong."

Sports on 06/21/2016

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