Selflessness and Faith Connect Tori Ensley to the Game She Loves

Tori Ensley once lost her love for softball. Then she found it again and sharing joy is what the junior outfielder, who aspires to be a special needs teacher, is all about.

“When I was in the fifth grade was when I thought I wanted to do it,” said Ensley, who transferred to South Carolina after two years at N.C. State. “I was on the playground and instead of playing with my friends, I’d be on the basketball court with all the special needs kids. It was always just about wanting to make them feel included, and that they weren’t different. I wanted to treat them as a friend, not someone who is looked down upon. I did that in middle school, and then when I got to high school, I was part of a leadership team, and I would try to plan things. We had a special needs basketball game. It helped confirm that I really wanted to do that.”

While at N.C. State, Ensley helped with the local Miracle League, which gives children with special needs the chance to play baseball.

“That was so cool and so rewarding and it brings me so much joy because playing softball every day, sometimes you take that for granted,” Ensley said. “You watch them, and they’re having so much fun, and you remember that this is a fun sport. It shifts your perspective.”

Ensley started playing softball when she was six years old and would play up with her older sister and all of her friends. Despite her abilities, she had some doubts at one point regarding her future on the diamond.

“I lost the love for the game for a while in middle school,” said Ensley, who is a religion major at South Carolina. “I was not confident and didn’t think I would end up anywhere. I had a coach call me who told me, ‘I see your hard work, and I see your potential.’ That brought me back to it. After that I started getting recruited and it built my confidence. That’s when I started relying on the Lord more.

“My faith is important to me. That’s why I wanted to study religion. My love for God is always there, but I wanted to grow in my knowledge. Being able to explain it better is important to me. My parents have always been steadfast in their faith. I’ve always felt free to talk about my faith. I want people to know that it’s not by my doing. This is God’s plan for me. I don’t want to hide that at all. I know I’m not where I am by my own doing.”

Ensley came to visit campus when the Gamecocks were hosting UCLA in the NCAA Super Regional last year and knew this is where she wanted to be.

“This is exactly what I wanted,” said Ensley, who has since found several of her teammates share her affinity for Harry Potter movies. “Seeing the atmosphere and the fans, the players and the love for the game with the coaches, it was everything I was looking for. That competitive nature was what I wanted. What you see out there is exactly what you get in practice, and it’s not like that at every program.”

Now that she has found a home with the Gamecocks, Ensley’s faith connects her with the game she loves.

“I realized God has given me this platform,” Ensley said. “That’s the mindset that shifted me to want to love the game more. I love it even more, especially being here with this program. It makes me feel like a little kid some days. We have long practice hours, but I look forward to it every single day.

“I see what we do in practice. I’m ready to bring it to the field and show people what we can do and compete with the best of the best. My strengths are in my base running and my defense. I have the mindset that I can catch every ball. My hitting this fall was decent, but I want to be more consistent with that. I’m excited to see how much more I grow.”