Haley Ellefson Is Making Her Family Proud

Ever since she was a little girl, Maryland softball pitcher and utility Haley Ellefson dreamed of playing the game she loves at a big university.

Although her path did not initially start that way, her dream never changed. Ellefson, a senior from Mayo, Florida, transferred to the University of Maryland after beginning her college career at the NJCAA level at Florida Southwestern.

Ellefson appeared in 53 games, including 24 as a pitcher for the Buccaneers. On the mound, she went 14-0, which ranked first in career-winning percentage at Florida Southwestern. She also had a career .402 batting average with 10 doubles and six home runs.

Despite all of the success on the field at the Junior College level, Ellefson's accomplishment was more significant than softball. 

She became the first member of her family to attend college.

"It means a lot to me," Ellefson said. "People looked down on my family and said they did not think I was going to go to college … It is a big accomplishment for me because I helped prove those people wrong. I showed them what you can make yourself out of."

Ellefson not only proved those people wrong, but she's earned the respect of the people from her community back home, and that community is incredibly proud of her accomplishment.

"I feel like people look up to me in my small community, in my hometown with one red light," she said. "They look at me now and I am constantly getting messages from them saying they're so proud of me and everything that I've accomplished and I think that's helped me a lot throughout life and the college experience."

Even though Ellefson became the first of her family to attend college, her dream never changed, and it came true when she transferred to play for the Terps. Maryland softball head coach Mark Montgomery offered for Ellefson to visit the university after her stellar career at the NJCAA level.

"I got [to Maryland] and the little girl inside of me was like 'oh wow, like I can see myself here,'" she said. "The campus is beautiful and I knew he was trying to build a program and I felt like it would be great to be a part of building that program to the point that it is actually going now."

Ellefson is now in her second season at Maryland. She will graduate this May with a B.S. in Family Science, also becoming the first member of her family to graduate college.

"I feel like I would have been in college no matter what, but like the big standpoint as to where I am right now in the Big Ten Conference, a Power Five school, I just never saw myself here and I wanted to be here," Ellefson said. "But looking out there, my family said this was my opportunity and I just think that it's a big accomplishment for my whole family and myself as well."

The pitcher/utility has been successful in her two-year career with the Terrapins, both on and off the field. Ellefson is 3-1 with a 3.90 ERA in 18 appearances and six starts this season on the mound. She is also batting .322 with 14 runs batted in as a hitter. But, although she's had individual success on the field, her career aspirations are elsewhere.

This summer, Ellefson plans to start pursuing an opportunity to attend physical therapy school after she graduates and finishes up some prerequisites. Ellefson's reasoning for wanting to become a physical therapist is fitting for someone who had the odds of going to college stacked against her.

"I enjoy helping others and I think that's why I see myself going to a PT program," she said. "I want to help others and see them build from where they fell down."

These traits of wanting to help others and see them build their success back up have allowed Ellefson to be a great leader on this year's Maryland softball squad, which is having one of its best seasons in recent memory.

The Terps are currently 24-18 overall and 10-4 in the Big Ten, with series sweeps over Iowa and Rutgers. Maryland's 10 Big Ten wins are their most ever in a "normal" season (not including last season) since joining the conference in 2015. 

Ellefson's success on the field has helped Maryland to its historic season, but her leadership and presence have arguably impacted the program more.

"I enjoy helping people, and if I see them struggling in something, I will speak up and tell them to try something else," she said. "I feel like being there for each other and as a team, as a whole, we're all there. We have each other's back, if we fall down on one little mistake we're like, 'oh, I got you on the next one or you got me on the next one or they'll say I have you,' and I just think that as a whole and me as a player it means so much to me."

Some of Ellefson's teammates refer to her as "Big Mama" because she is the eldest member of the team and because of how her leadership impacts them. She gets along with her teammates because of the common goal of succeeding and making everyone around her better. 

Graduation from college looms a little less than a month away for Ellefson, and she hopes to finish the school year out strong, making her community, her team, and Maryland proud.

"Going back home and being able to say that I graduated from a top school and institution and being back home with a degree, they're just going to be so proud," Ellefson said.