April 29, 2003

Why did you come to Purdue?

I came to Purdue because I had played with and against some of the players that were already on the team. I felt comfortable here. Not only that, but Purdue had very high academic standards. I thought it would be really nice to have a degree from Purdue. At the same time, I really liked the coaching staff. I didn't really look at very many other schools.

You were born in South Carolina, how did you end up in Indiana?

My mother was born in Maryland and my grandparents and my mother moved to South Carolina where my mom's side of the family was raised. It just so happened that my dad, who is from Indiana, was in the Army Reserves at the time they met through mutual friends. They got married and lived in South Carolina, then my brother and I were born in Charleston. My dad wanted to be closer to his family, so my mom agreed to move to Indiana.

What kind of relationship do you have with your brother? Is he involved in sports?

My brother is 18 and is freshman at IUPUI. Our relationship is a normal brother-sister story. When we were younger we hated and couldn't stand each other. The older we get, the closer we become. I would consider him one of my best friends. We tell each other everything. He is definitely a key part in my life.

He played sports all the way through his senior year of high school. He graduated mid-term and went into the National Guard. He decided that instead of wrestling and playing baseball that he would get his college paid for by the National Guard.

Why do you say that your mom and dad are the people that inspire you the most?

My father has been through thick and thin with me in softball and my mother has been with me in the emotional side of my softball career. My father has always been there to throw, catch, and inspire me, but my mother has been the one to see me through my crying stages. I feel as if I both of my parents have played a huge role in my entire softball career. Both of them have been on the sidelines. My dad has been my coach for years- both on teams and off the field. My mother has been my No. 1 fan ever since I started.

How did you end up with the number 15 and why is it so important to you?

I have been #15 ever since I can remember. When I started playing softball when I was really little, I was #15. Where I grew up, I grew up with a bunch of boys. The stud of the neighborhood was #15. It was funny that I happened to be the stud girl of the neighborhood and the stud guy of the neighborhood and I were both #15. When his sister was a softball player, she was #15 and when my brother played, he was #15. It is not just ýan individual number, but a number that has gone around the neighborhood.

What is your most memorable softball moment?

Winning the state championship my junior year. Our team hadn't had good luck. We were always very, very talented and very good, but we would always come up a run short. The year we won state, we won sectionals, regionals, semi-state and state. Before that, we had never even won a sectional title. It was most memorable because at our high school, our state championship was the first state championship ever won, either boys or girls. It was kind of neat to see your name under 'Mount Vernon Softball State Champs' up on the wall.

You play both third base and pitcher,is there a mental process to playing each and ýwhat are the pros and cons to each?

The good thing is that you are always playing and always involved in the game. I love doing both. Mentally, it can be draining at times. If I have to switch all of the sudden, I have to change my focus, because when you are pitching you are thinking about spins and about placement and when you are at third you are thinking about staying low and going towards the ball. I am not a one-position player. Sometimes, I feel like I don't get enough time to just work on one specific position, but I love being versatile and being able to go from position to position.

Have you played third base most of your life?

No, until my junior or senior year in high school, I had never played third base. We had a third baseman, so if I wasn't pitching, I was out in the outfield. That's how most of my travel ball career went too until I signed my letter with Coach B. and she told me that she wanted to turn me into a third baseman and a pitcher. So, my junior and senior summers I really focused on playing third base and trying to learn the position. I really didn't know much until I got to Purdue. After my freshman year, I feel a lot more confident at third. I know the role a lot better.

What are your goals for this season?

Everybody's goal should be to have a better batting average than they did last season. My goal for this season as a pitcher is to learn more about how to pitch as a college pitcher. I really want to focus on keeping my ERA down going into the Big Ten season. I want to continue to work on my pitches and when I am in the field, continue to stay low, go after the balls, and dive. I just want to dive. I also want to keep my head up at all times, no matter what, and continue to cheer on my teammates. I really, really, really want to win a Big Ten Championship, and get an NCAA berth.

Tell me about your favorite softball memory of playing "Little Sally Walker" with Minnesota softball team.

I would say that is one of my favorite memories. Last year, we were in Minnesota and it was freezing. We were waiting to see if the weather was going to warm up and we were doing random things to keep ourselves occupied. All of a sudden, I saw the Minnesota players playing a game and went over there. They were playing a dancing game called Little Sally Walker. The premise of the game is to go up to someone and do a dance move. The other person will then do that same dance move and then pass it on to another person. It kept us really warm, but it was also fun doing it with another Big Ten team that had as much spirit and energy as we did.

What are the superstitions that you have?

I have a huge superstition when I pitch. I have to step at least three feet away from the mound before I get back on it to pitch. Usually, it is just to gather my thoughts and visualize things. I have never just stood on the mound and pitched; I have to walk away. I will either grab dirt or do something with my mitt before I put my feet back on the mound. When I am at third base, I always look at the foul line. I won't touch the foul line, but right before I position myself to get down, I look at the foul line to see the range between my glove and the line. If I have to back hand a ball, I look to see where I am at in position with the plate. Over time, it has become something that if I don't do, I feel like I am out of bounds.

What do you plan to do with your life?

I think that right now I want to do something with sports. I am looking into sports marketing. I would love to work for Nike, either in advertising or promotions. I want to continue to work with athletes because in my heart that is what I feel I know a lot about and will hopefully be successful with. I wouldn't' mind owning my own professional sports team sometime. I wouldn't mind being the person sitting back and shaking their ýhead and nodding when a person makes a basket or hits a home run. I don't know if there are any girls who own sports teams, but I wouldn't mind being the first one.

You said last year that your favorite athletes were Marion Jones and Lisa Fernandez, is that still true?

Marion Jones is inspirational to me because she has come through a lot of hard times. I watch her run, and look and see the desire in her eyes. Lisa Fernandez is one of my favorites because she is a third baseman and a pitcher just like I am. You learn a lot from people like that. Not only that, but she is probably the best pitcher in the world, plus a third baseman. She is from the U.S. team and is just unbelievable.

If you could play another sport besides softball what would it be? Why?

If I could, I would swim. My boyfriend is a swimmer and has gotten me into swimming. In my free time I like to go, because it relaxes me. I don't know if I could do it competitively. I think diving would be fun too, even though I am scared to death of heights. I would do something completely opposite and not related to softball, maybe play water polo.

What is something that you have always wanted to do but you have never done?

Go to Paris. Ever since I took French in high school, I have been in love with the city. The romanticism, the Eiffel Tower and the structures, there is just something about Paris. I really hope that if I go there, my dreams won't be shattered, because I have been wanting to go there so badly. After learning about the city, the culture, and about France in general, I would die to go there. I will go; I just can't wait to do it.

You say that if you are cooking we are having chicken, chicken, chicken, why is that?

It's the only thing I feel like I can cook. My mother tries to be a health fanatic, so we have chicken all the time. If you asked me to make any kind of chicken, I could probably make it. I love any kind of food, though. You can ask anybody, I will eat anything.

Tell me about your strange habit of eating pickles and drinking chocolate milk at the same time?

Ever since I was a little girl, I have drank Ovaltine and eaten pickles together. Maybe it's the sweet and sour thing. People look at me and think I am strange, but that is one of my ultimate favorite things to eat together.

You say that if you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one thing you would bring chocolate. Why is that?

The older I get, I think I would want to take a man. Either that or chocolate. I crave chocolate 24/7. You could drink the coconut juice with the chocolate.

If you were meeting someone new, how would you describe yourself to them?

I am very blunt. I sometimes say things without thinking. I am very open and very honest. I talk very well with people. I consider myself a pretty friendly person, and I don't like to get on people's bad sides. I am a good listener, and I like to talk. I don't want people to be quiet with me.

If you could tell your future teammates one thing what would it be?

Never give up, because in college you are going to get knocked down more than you know. You can never, ever give up, because, if you do, it will just be harder and harder to get back up when the time comes.

What is your favorite book?

Stepping on the Cracks. It is a story about a little boy and a little girl. It basically comes down to 'don't underestimate people.' This is the only book I have ever really cried over because it really makes you think. I like Nicholas Sparks books too; they make you feel like you are in the book. I am an easy crier.

Your favorite movie is Pretty Woman. Why is that?

I know every single line to that movie. I like Julia Roberts and Richard Gere together.

But, you say your favorite actor is Paul Walker.

He is just hot. He is one man that could step into the room and my mouth would drop.

What music are you into and how does it affect you?

I listen to almost everything -- everything from Nelly to Jo Dee Messina to Frank Sinatra. Before games I usually listen to some R&B, rap, or hip hop type music to really pump myself up. I love country when I am in a sappy mood. I love Frank Sinatra music, it makes me smile. Basically, I listen to any kind of music that my mood wants.

Your favorite article of clothing is hooded sweatshirts. What is it about them?

You are always comfortable in them. Who isn't comfortable in a hooded sweatshirt. If your head gets cold, put your hood up. I especially like brand new ones when they are all fluffy inside.

Which is your favorite sports team?

I always cheer for the underdog.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully married. I would like to have children. Hopefully, I will be working for some ýtop corporation in sports. If I am not married and settled down, I will be traveling, but hopefully, I will have a family and a job and be happy.

What is something about you that a lot of people don't know?

I have my shy moments. I am probably the softest person and I take a lot of things to heart. When I am playing sports, people see me being a hard ass and wanting to rip the hell out of the ball, but, when I am off the field, I am a completely different person. I am a very emotional person and also affectionate. I like to show people that I care.

Tell me about your car getting hit by a bus when you were younger.

When I was a little girl, my brother and I were on our way to get dropped off at the babysitters. My mom was going to drop us off before she went to work. My brother and I were still in car seats. A bus was backing out and my mom's brakes went out. When her brakes went out, our car went right in the middle of the bus. We T-boned the bus. The roof of our car came off and the entire front end was smashed. My mom actually lost her front tooth by hitting her head on the steering wheel. It caused me to have a bruised sternum and it really hurt my brother, he had severe whip lash. I told my mom that one of the only things I remember is waking up in the hospital and my grandpa having 7-Up for me in a cup. I also remember being in the ambulance for the first time and fighting them to the bone when they tried to put that oxygen mask on me. Last year, I was going through my mom's files and I pulled out the picture of the car. It had been like 12-14 years since I had seen it. When I saw the picture of the car, I looked at my mother and said "how did we survive that?" The car was totaled. The bus definitely won.

If you could have dinner with someone living or dead, who would it be and what would you be having?

I would have it with my grandfather and my sister, who are both passed away. My sister died when my mother was pregnant with me and I never got to meet her. My grandfather passed away when I was extremely young. They are two people that I think would play a huge role in my life if they were still alive. I would love to meet them. If I got to meet them, we would have whatever they wanted for dinner. I would let them choose.

You say your favorite quote is 'those who dare to dream dare to do'. Where did that come from and what is it about that?

My mother had a crystal rock and on that rock is engraved 'those who dare to dream dare to do'. It is anonymous. She gave it to me when I was struggling. I was really questioning my future in softball. I had played it for so long that I wasn't' sure if I wanted to continue playing. She gave that to me and it hit home. It made me realize how long and how much effort I had put into my dream. When she gave that to me it was more along the lines of 'it's your dream, if you dare to do it, then do it, don't give up.' In life, my dream is to work for Nike. When I look at that, it reminds me to not let anything get in the way of that. I think that anyone could take that quote and apply it to any aspect of life. If you dare to dream it, dare to do it. Don't give up, don't let it go by. It's an opportunity, don't let your dream pass.

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