Davis leaves legacy of love, perseverance, dominance
Tate Davis (No. 8) leaves and unforgettable legacy behind as arguably Greer’s most accomplished softball player.
On April 16, Greer star softball player Tate Davis walked onto her home field for the final time.
It was senior night at Greer. Davis, the only senior on the team’s roster, walked out with her parents to loud cheers and applause from Greer faithful. Her accolade list read more like a scroll, drawing on and on with achievements.
Three times all-state, four times all-region. 2024 Region 2-4A Player of the Year. Greer’s all-time leader in home runs, hits, RBIs, runs, and stolen bases.
On the grass near the third base line, a big white number 8 was painted on the ground — Davis’ number throughout her Jacket career. At the concession stand, Davis’ teammates had made a trifold board full of pictures from her tenure.
The Greer chapter in the senior shortstop’s story was drawing near its close. Davis acknowledged it.
“My goal going into that last home game was just to leave it all out there on the field,” said Davis. “There were a lot of emotions knowing that this was the last time I’d be doing this at Greer. This is my home.”
Before the game, Davis took time to reflect internally about her softball journey. She knew it wouldn’t be over anytime soon, as she officially signed to play collegiately at Ole Miss in November 2023. Division I college softball was always Davis’ goal. She achieved it, with several top schools seeking her services.
Years ago, however, there was a point where Davis’ dreams were stopped in their tracks.
THE PLAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
It began in the summer of 2021.
Davis was playing in Colorado with her travel softball team, just off a stellar freshman campaign with Greer. She went to field a ground ball at third base. Davis scooped it and threw it to first like normal. Routine enough for Davis, who’d made the play hundreds of times before.
This time, however, she felt a pop near her elbow.
“I knew something felt off after that. But I kept playing in the [travel ball] tournament,” said Davis. “We got back home and the doctors suggested that I get an MRI just in case.”
A few days later, Davis was in the car with her dad on the way to another travel ball tournament. Her mom, back at home, got a call from the doctor.
Davis had torn her UCL.
“I remember I just started bawling,” said Davis. “I started crying my eyes out, even thought I didn’t even really know what that meant for me.”
What it meant for Davis, as she soon found out, was a procedure she’d only heard of baseball players receiving — Tommy John Surgery. After that successful surgery, then came the nearly year-long recovery process.
AT HER OWN PACE
Davis worked closely with multiple rehabilitation professionals along the way. Among those was Daniel Kline of ATI Physical Therapy, who closely oversaw the then-sophomore’s progress as she worked her way back to full health.
Davis gives a thumbs up as she prepares to undergo Tommy John Surgery in 2021. Davis suffered a UCL tear while playing travel ball in Colorado that same summer.
Kline helps treat many area high-school athletes for various long-term injuries and recoveries. He spent several months with Davis from late 2021 to early 2022.
“Tate is a pretty unique case,” said Kline. “When you look at the overall group of athletes that come in after UCL injuries, it’s almost exclusively baseball players. Softball players make up a small portion of UCL injuries and procedures.”
While working with Davis, Kline noted her constant insistence that she was ready to handle more than he was allowing her to.
“What I called throwing, that was not what Tate called throwing,” Kline recalled, laughing. “She felt like she was ready to throw full on again, and I’d have to be like, ‘No, today we’re just throwing darts at this net.’
Davis didn’t hesitate to second Kline’s assessment.
“It was hard for me, because I like to do things at my pace,” said Davis with a smile. “Not the pace of what [Kline] wanted me to do. I was always trying to jump in ahead of where I should be and rush in.”
Eventually, Davis agreed to work at Kline’s pace, and it paid off. Baby step by baby step, she soon began making routine softball plays again. Davis was cleared for full participation near the end of her sophomore season at Greer — just under a year after her UCL tear.
A LEGACY OF LOVE
Davis fully recovered and didn’t miss a beat on the diamond.
She picked up interest from several colleges throughout the summer and fall of 2022. South Carolina and North Carolina State showed serious interest. But Ole Miss stole Davis’ heart.
“It was one of those things where after the visit to Ole Miss, I felt like I could see myself at home here,” said Davis. “Ole Miss just had a different feel to it.”
And with her college career on the horizon, Davis made sure to give Greer one last signature show before saying goodbye. She hit two home runs on her senior night — one inside the park and one crushed over the left-field wall.
After the game, that’s when Davis’ emotions ran over.
“After the game, I went with my teammate Adi [Howard] to get the American flag down at center field. That’s what I do every game,” said Davis. “And all of the sudden, I just looked at Adi, and she was crying, so I started crying.”
“Ever since day one, Tate’s been such a big mentor to me,” said Howard, who Davis calls her “mini-me.” “I’ve looked up to her since we met. And she’s always lifting all of us younger girls up and being so kind to us, even if things aren’t going her way.”
The lone senior on this year’s Greer softball roster, Tate Davis (No. 8) is adored by her younger teammates.
It’s highly unlikely that any of Davis’ Greer records will be broken anytime soon. But the numbers aren’t what she’s worried about.
Davis hopes her legacy — and her story of perseverance through recovery — will lay the foundation for the next star group of Lady Jackets.
“I don’t want them to remember any of the records I broke. I just hope they remember me as a leader,” said Davis. “All I ever wanted was to pour into them and for these girls to love the game as much as I do.
“It’s been an unforgettable journey… I just hope when they think of me, they think of how much I love them and root for them in everything.”