CLEMSON, S.C. — On Wednesday, the Clemson Softball team will take on the Gamecocks at Carolina stadium for the first time ever.
For one Clemson infielder, the game is a bit of a homecoming.
In 2015, Clemson Shortstop Ansley Gilstrap was a star student athlete at Blythewood High School. Her hard work on and off the field earned her News19 Player of the Week honors and she was also named the News19 Player of the Year.
She would attend USC Upstate and after three stellar seasons with the Spartans, the lifelong Clemson fan jumped at the chance to play for the Tigers in their inaugural season in 2020.
"It was my time to leave and learn a lot of things, and Clemson was one of the first places that jumped out to me." Gilstrap said.
But just when she was about to be a part of history, she began getting migraine headaches and she decided to go to the Doctor to find out what was wrong.
"It would impact me in my daily life too so I knew that something was wrong." Gilstrap said.
Gilstrap was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, a brain disorder she was born with. After a few more complications, it was discovered that she had a cerebral spinal fluid leak as a result of her initial surgery, which forced her to miss the entire 2020 season.
"It was a really tough time, I was in a lot of pain," Gilstrap says. "But I stayed in good spirits because of text messages from my teammates and coaches those words definitely kept me going."
Gilstrap has made a full recovery and is back on the field in 2021. She is hitting well over .300 and is a key part of a Clemson team that is 32-4 this season heading into Wednesday's showdown with the Gamecocks at Carolina Stadium.
"It's definitely pretty exciting to go back home," Gilstrap says. "We just have to keep it simple and just play and have fun."
The game starts at 7 PM on Wednesday and you can catch it on the SEC Network.