University of Massachusets Athletics
Q&A With Softball Phenom Whitney Mollica
May 16, 2006 | Softball
May 16, 2006
Freshman Whitney Mollica found time out of her busy schedule to sit down with Justin Lafleur of Media Relations. See what she had to say about her pregame rituals, at-bat song, and the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Q: What made you decide to come to UMass?
A: There was a man that worked for the Red Sox who was friends with our coach (Elaine Sortino). He called her one day to look into "this kid". I sent her a video of me. She said if they liked it they would ask me to come for an official visit, but if they did not, they would tell me the truth. She called back to ask me to come out. I came out Sunday to Monday and (signed) on Tuesday.
Q: What made you want to play softball?
A: I started playing t-ball when I was four. I kept playing with the boys for a little bit. Eventually, I started playing softball. I was really into basketball; I always wanted to do that for my life. Then I switched to softball because I was always around it so much. It was in my family, so that was the deciding factor.
Q: What is your at-bat song? Is there any specific reason why you chose it?
A: My at-bat song is "I Want You Back" by the Jackson Five. I just like the tune of it. I'm really into old songs, such as My Girl, Temptations kind a thing. It puts me in a good rhythm before I go up to bat.
Q: Do you have any pregame rituals?
A: I listen to the same three or four songs on away trips. On away trips I take my necklace off and at home games I keep my necklace on. I never take off my 2012 bracelet. I wear it every game to support the Olympics.
Q: What is it like to have all these A-10 honors (such as numerous Players of the Week, Rookies of the Week, Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year)?
A: I came into this season working as hard as I could, trying to get into the starting lineup. I didn't expect so much to happen so soon. It's an honor for me, it makes me feel great. At the same time it makes me feel good that we're winning and the team is doing so well. If I got A-10 Player of the Year and we didn't win, it would have meant nothing to me. Winning is way more important.
Q: How far can this year's team go into the NCAA Tournament?
A: We can go to the (College) World Series. The way we've been practicing, we can do it. We couldn't ask for a better bracket. If we come out and play how we know how to play, (we'll be in good shape). Come out and kick, scratch, claw. We need to keep our game up and we will be okay.
Q: What is your dream career?
A: I want to be an NCAA Division I coach. I will have to be an assistant first, but eventually I want to be a Division I coach.
Q: What adjectives best describe you?
A: Bubbly, peppy, motivated. Motivated is the best word.
Q: What advice would you give to a high school athlete who hopes to compete collegiately at the Division I level?
A: Keep working as hard as you can. If you think your high school is hard, you need to work even harder (in college). You can never stop working hard enough. You need to keep training hard. You can't slack off. You can't miss certain things and say, "oh I'll do it tomorrow". You need to keep doing it everyday: conditioning, running, lifting. Have a positive attitude going into the recruiting process at a Division I school. Coaches like to see a positive attitude and being willing to adjust.
Q: What has your grandfather (Don Zimmer) meant to you athletically?
A: Athletically, he is more of a mentor figure. Obviously I never saw him play. He's only seen me play since my high school until now because he was always coaching while I was playing. He gives me advice, but he knows our coaches here are so good that he doesn't want to say anything wrong because he knows they are giving me the right advice. He just tries to be there to support me. It's fun for him to just watch us play.
Q: What is your favorite baseball team; do you have a favorite player?
A: My favorite team is the Yankees and favorite player is Derek Jeter.