Before every softball game she plays for the University of Utah, Haley Denning draws a heart with an “H” in the middle, in green, on her wrist.
It’s a symbol that has deep meaning for Denning, emblematic of the courage and optimism demonstrated by a boy named Hollis that she knew from her hometown of Phoenix that died four years ago from incurable brain cancer.
“It’s a reminder that there’s so much more to life than a game of softball,” she said.
Denning has experienced her own battles with adversity in the form of injuries. Her coach, Amy Hogue, and her Ute teammates, marvel at her hopeful attitude and the infectious joy she spreads.
While Hollis has been an inspiration to Denning, she also draws strength from her faith, which has furnished her with a clear-eyed perspective.
“You’re going to have bad days and you’re going to have good days. When you find your identity in that sport and you have a bad day, it crushes you,” she said. “Through those injuries, being able to find my identity in Christ, rather than in the sport, is like, ‘It’s another injury. Who cares? We’ll get through it.’ Or, ‘Oh, I went 0-for-4 today? Whatever.’ Yeah, I want to do good but who cares? This is not my identity. This sport is something I can use to further God’s kingdom and share love and support for other people.”
Despite the injury setbacks over the years, Denning hasn’t missed a game this season. She’s Utah’s leadoff hitter, and she doesn’t have many hitless days. Denning is batting .383 with 29 stolen bases, 40 runs scored and five triples.
“If she’s fully healthy all the time, the sky’s the limit for her. If she was just devoted to only softball, she’d be a USA National Team contender for a spot,” Hogue said. “There are so many other things she cares about other than softball that drive her.”
In the field, she’s a slick-fielding infielder and outfielder. Earlier this season against Cal, Denning made a diving stab of a ball hit in the hole between shortstop and second base with the tying run on third. Denning flipped the ball to second to clinch the win.
“That was a ball that nobody else on the team could have got to,” Hogue said.
Even more impressive to Hogue is Denning’s attitude while dealing with knee, foot and shoulder injuries.
“You’re around her and you want her around you all of the time. There’s nothing that drops that kid’s spirit down,” she said. “That’s the fun other side of her. It’s her faith side, her religious side. There’s nothing else that can explain the fact that she’s still happy. She’s making believers out of all of us around her. It doesn’t make any sense otherwise.”
No doubt, it’s been a tough season for the Utes, who have been snakebit by injuries and are sporting a dismal 19-27 overall record, 2-16 in the Pac-12, as of May 3. As competitive as Denning is, she is able to put it all in perspective.
‘Hope Through Hollis’
Denning met a young boy named Hollis Doherty when she was teaching Sunday school at her church in Arizona.
“He was super fun, always smiling and energetic,” Denning said.
One day, about a year after he graduated from that class, he started suffering from headaches, double vision and nausea. An MRI revealed a tumor on his brain stem and he was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Only 350 children are diagnosed with DIPG each year, with the average survival rate being one year from diagnosis. There is less than a 1% survival rate.
Hollis’ family traveled to Germany in hopes of finding a cure. After battling the disease for nine months, including seven immunotherapy treatments, he died Jan. 2, 2017, at the age of 7.
In honor of their son, Hollis’ family created a foundation called “Hope Through Hollis.”
Denning thinks of Hollis often, including before every game she plays.
“It makes you think that if this kid can smile and have fun and knows that he’s going to pass away soon, it makes you think about life in general. Where your happiness is coming from,” she said. “If this kid can find joy in God and in the situation, I can strike out and still be happy. This kid’s dying and he still had a smile and joy. I’m healthy. I’m living life and I’m playing a sport that I love. There’s so much more to life. It’s motivation. Comparing my setbacks is minimal compared to what his family went through.”
Honoring Hollis before games hasn’t gone unnoticed by her teammates.
“That’s a great example of the person Haley is,” said infielder Madi Jacobus. “She wants to give back in any way she can. She wants to make a difference in someone else’s life.”
‘Can you add some bubble wrap?’
The first major injury Denning suffered was in high school. Ironically, though, it happened while she was running to first base during a softball camp at Utah.
“It was the last 10 minutes of the last day,” Hogue recalled. “A major injury. I watched her have to come back from it. The first of many.”
That injury was a torn PCL and meniscus. Later she dealt with complications.
“I ended up having a staph infection that was in my bone,” Denning said.
One week before the start of the 2019 season, she sustained a Lisfranc injury to her midfoot, which can be career-ending. It’s an injury more commonly suffered by football players.
“The doctors were like, ‘You’re the first softball player that we’ve seen get this injury,’” Denning said. “They said there’s a chance the surgery might not work. I wasn’t too worried about it. I prayed about it a lot. Here we are being able to play and I’m grateful for that.”
“We saw firsthand what she’s made of. Her game is built on speed and that first injury was her leg. She said, ‘I’ll be faster when this is all over.’ She did exactly that. She came back stronger and faster. She has every time, which blows my mind. She’s hellbent on being great and there’s nothing getting in the way of that.” — Utah softball coach Amy Hogue
“Each time I go to the hospital for her surgeries,” Hogue said, “I see the doctor and say, ‘Can you add some bubble wrap?’”
Denning has remained healthy this season. Hogue is amazed by her resilience.
“We saw firsthand what she’s made of. Her game is built on speed and that first injury was her leg,” Hogue said. “She said, ‘I’ll be faster when this is all over.’ She did exactly that. She came back stronger and faster. She has every time, which blows my mind. She’s hellbent on being great and there’s nothing getting in the way of that.”
Did Denning ever think about quitting the sport after going through so much bad luck with injuries?
“It felt like a calling to be at Utah. I wanted to prove to myself that I wouldn’t quit on a goal because of a minor setback,” she said. “All these injuries I’ve been able to come back from and I’ve been able to keep playing. There’s no point in quitting. I have a purpose of being here. I’ve prayed about it a ton. I love playing the sport. Softball isn’t my life, it’s just something that I do. I might as well play it.”
“I’ve never been around a kid like her, with the tenacity and the high spirits as she goes through that,” Hogue said. “I thought at one point, is it going to break her? I’m sure there were breaking moments.
“But she overcomes those moments like nobody else. I almost feel bad because she’s set the bar so high. ‘Why don’t you just hang it up? It’s too much work.’ But this became her thing. The rest of us were like, ‘Are you sure?’ It’s too much to ask for one kid. But she still puts the work in. She’s still the same kid personality-wise that we recruited prior to all of the injuries she’s had. To have that not affected her spirit is what’s made her stand out the most.”
Denning has played multiple positions at Utah in both the infield and outfield.
“Her shoulder pops in and out frequently. She’ll dive for a ball and you wonder what popped out. There’s more contact as an infielder. We need to keep her healthy for the games,” Hogue explained. “She’s good enough to play middle infield for us. She could be our starting shortstop, she could be our starting second baseman. We put her in the outfield because it’s safer out there.”
Firefighter, EMT, helicopter medic
It comes as no surprise that when her softball career is over, Denning wants a job helping others.
She’s in the emergency medical service program at Utah and her goal is to be a firefighter. She wants to be involved in wilderness rescues.
“I’m hoping to get my paramedic degree after I’m done with softball. Then it would be fun to be a helicopter medic,” Denning said. “I love being outdoors and challenges. I want to be able to help people in my career. When I retire, I want to do medical missions and be able to help medically with people who are going through hard times and provide relief during natural disasters.”
When there are disasters on the field, Denning is ready to assist in a variety of ways.
Earlier this season, pitcher/infielder Halle Morris made an error while Denning was playing shortstop.
“After the play, she came up to me and made me laugh,” Morris said. “She started to talk about random stuff. It helps to take your mind off what’s happened.”
Random stuff?
“She loves canned cheese. She’s obsessed with it. She was talking about how she couldn’t wait to eat her canned cheese after the game,” Morris said. “It helped me get over the play and have a laugh. That’s what it’s like to play with her. Everything she does, she enjoys.”
Gratitude, faith, Hollis
Denning only knows how to play softball, and live life, in one way, according to Hogue.
“She is full-speed ahead on and off the field. She’s an overachiever in all areas, whether it’s schoolwork, friendships, the game,” Hogue said. “She’s all in. She’s a go-getter. She’s a happy kid. She brings a lot of joy to people around her.”
Denning has an open-door policy when it comes to her teammates. She loves to talk to anyone, especially those who are going through difficult times.
“I’m just there for anybody that needs me, whatever that might be. We’re a family so we stick together,” Denning said. “I try to make people laugh when I’m on the field. Make sure everyone’s having fun. It’s a sport. It’s a game. It should be fun.”
And Denning has helped her teammates through their injuries.
“Seeing how she’s come back, and her attitude toward everything, has inspired me to keep going,” Jacobus said. “She’s shown me that when things get hard, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You can push through anything as long as your attitude is there. You can be there for your team in other ways, not just on the field.”
Among the 2021 highlights on the field, one came in the season opener at Grand Canyon University, not far from her home in the Phoenix area.
“It’s taught me to appreciate the game and be able to point everything back toward God. It’s a ‘Why am I here?’ kind of a thing. It’s been very humbling.” — Haley Denning
Back in February, Denning went 3 for 5 and belted a three-run triple in the top of the eighth inning to lift Utah to a 6-1 lead. The Utes held on to win, 6-5.
Since then, there have been plenty of disappointing losses. But, of course, Denning, doesn’t dwell on those. Considering what she’s been through, there are more important things to focus on. Denning is grateful just to be able to play the sport she loves and she’s grateful for the trainers and doctors that have helped her become healthy again.
“They’ve gotten me to a point where I won’t feel exactly like I did before the surgeries, but back to the fullest potential I can get,” she said.
Along the way, Denning has learned precious lessons.
“It’s taught me to appreciate the game and be able to point everything back toward God. It’s a ‘Why am I here?’ kind of a thing. It’s been very humbling,” she said. “It’s taught me to have fun when you play and take every opportunity that you get. Hopefully, I show that on the field by having fun. It’s taught me to be grateful and thankful.”
That explains why Denning draws a heart with an “H” in the middle, in green, on her wrist before every game.
Gratitude, faith, Hollis. She’ll never forget what drives her.