Injuries can be haunting. If you allow it, an injury can torment you mentally, physically and emotionally. But softball's Alyssa Palomino, a redshirt freshman, is a model example of how to bounce back from an injury that could have broken her.

Palomino is perhaps one of the highest ranked recruits ever to wear the Wildcat uniform. To back her credibility, Palomino entered Arizona with a CIF State Championship under her belt, and was not only a member of the Junior USA softball team, but set a record for most RBI in the Women's World Championship tournament (27). She was ranked as the No. 8 recruit in her class and was named USA Softball Junior Athlete of the Year in 2016.

After coming off an amazing senior year in high school and a successful summer season with Team USA, Palomino was ready to join the powerhouse Wildcat program and begin her collegiate career in 2015.

"It felt good being the top player on the USA Junior team, I felt in-shape, I was ready to go and ready to play," Palomino said.

Then, the first official team practice hit. After a typical day of fielding at batting practice, Palomino saw her season come to an end sooner than it began. She jumped up for a fly ball, landed awkwardly and ended up tearing her right ACL.

"It was kind of scary," said close friend and pitcher Taylor McQuillin, "because all you could hear was a scream and you're not really sure of what happened."

Athletic trainer Bruce Johnston was there to facilitate Palomino, but nothing can soothe the initial shock that flows through your body as an athlete immediately after an injury.

"She was scared, unsure, didn't really know what was going on," said Johnston.

This being Palomino's first ever injury, she initially didn't know how to feel. Once she understood that her freshman year would be put on hold, she forced her mindset to change. Her main priority during the recovery process was "staying mentally focused," Palomino stated, keeping her head clear and staying mentally tough were her two keys to unlocking the doors to a healthy, positive recovery.

Her two main supporters throughout this rehabilitation process were her aunt, former Wildcats softball standout Toni Mascarenas, and McQuillin.

"She wanted to do whatever she had to do to get better," said McQuillin.

Head Coach Mike Candrea also played a big role.

"I wanted her to make sure she knew that she had a great support system," the coach said.

The typical recovery for an ACL injury is 9-12 months. This gave Palomino enough time to take advantage of learning the game outside the cleats and to experience a whole year of collegiate athletics without actually playing.

"I was able to sit back and learn the game," the outfielder said. "You grow to love it more."

Palomino was fully recovered and was cleared to play in her first game this fall during softball's preseason.

"It was just a strong feeling, nervous and excited, man it was just fun," she said.

Palomino had a tremendous preseason, especially since recognizing her new goals for the 2017 season.

"I have to step into a bigger role now, and I'm ready for it." Coach Candrea is excited to see what's in store for the regular season, "Physically right now she's in great shape. Mentally she's hungry, very hungry to play the game."

When faced with an injury such as this as an athlete, the goal is to have a solid mindset, take one day at a time and set strategic goals in order to stay preoccupied and distraction free. And most of all, in the words of coach Candrea, "Stay positive and know that your future is ahead of you."