University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Alyssa DiCarlo
May 23, 2018 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Alyssa DiCarlo has been a starter on the left side of the Georgia softball infield since the season opener of her freshman year. The junior shortstop has 19 home runs this season and 43 for her spectacular Georgia career.
In last weekend's Athens Regional of the NCAA tournament, she hit three two-run homers in one game against Northwestern. One is great, two is super-duper, but I wondered what if felt like to hit that third one — so I asked the fun, free-spirited slugger.
On Tuesday morning, DiCarlo and I sat down for a Quick Chat in the players' game room at Jack Turner Stadium. We talked about that third homer, the stats that mean something to her, calligraphy, the Olympics and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Your career stats are pretty amazing — the home runs, the RBIs, the consistently high batting average, and you're 4-for-4 on stolen bases this season — but is there one that you look at with the most pride or that lets you know how you're really doing as a player?
DiCarlo: I think RBIs, probably. As much as nobody wants to look at their stats because it shouldn't define you, but for me I really value being productive and producing runs. That's my job as a 3-, 4-hole hitter, so if my RBIs are high, I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing for my team. If runners on base, it's the meat of the lineup's job to get them in.
Frierson: About your three two-run homers Saturday, what did the third one feel like? The first two I think I can imagine what they felt like, nice but not unfamiliar territory, even in an NCAA tournament game. But I can't imagine that third one.
DiCarlo: The third one was special. I didn't really think they were going to pitch to me or give me a good pitch to hit, but I was ready for it if it came.
It was surprisingly really on the white [of the plate], really far on the plate, I think it was middle out, and I remember after I hit it being like, "Wow, I just hit three home runs in a game." I don't know if I've seen that, so it was really crazy.
After I hit it I could hear my sister in the stands, and it was just a really good feeling.
Frierson: I would imagine. Is that something that's pretty tough to come down from afterward, like were you still jazzed and awake at 3 a.m.?
DiCarlo: Cortni [Emanuel] is really good about this, managing her energy because you don't want to let yourself get too high or too low. I was like, I've got to get back into my normal flow, I don't want to be getting all complacent. But yeah, I was pretty excited.
Frierson: When you showed up the next day, to play Northwestern again, you had to know that they weren't going to throw you anything good. [NOTE: DiCarlo was walked three times and singled once in Georgia's 9-7 win Sunday.]
DiCarlo: Yeah, I didn't think I was going to get much to hit. I was kind of surprised, the first at-bat when they walked me I was like, OK, yeah. But after that there were a couple of situations where I thought, I think they might pitch to me. But the didn't.
Frierson: It's a really nice compliment that they want to avoid your bat so much that they'll walk you to pitch to Alysen Febrey, who's hitting close to .400.
DiCarlo: It is a really nice compliment. Luckily, with Justice [Milz] in front of me and Alysen behind me ... in the fourth Justice homered, they walked me and then Alysen hit the two-run home run, that was amazing, that was so to be a part of. It was like, you want to walk me but there's people in front and behind me that are just as capable.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there something you like to do or wish you could do?
DiCarlo: I really love calligraphy, but I'm so not fluid like that, my hands don't work like that — I have boy handwriting. Calligraphy's so cool to me.
Frierson: So every time you get an invitation to something fancy, you're blown away by the writing?
DiCarlo: (Laughs) Yeah, it's pretty.
Frierson: Who's the funnest person on the team, or who makes you laugh the most?
DiCarlo: Oh, Mo [Mahlena O'Neal]. Definitely Mo, she's hilarious. Some things that come out of her mouth, I'm like, how did you even think of that. She's so funny, she always has us laughing.
Frierson: How valuable is that, having a teammate or teammates that keep everyone laughing and loose?
DiCarlo: Playing free is when we play our best, and when we're joking around and having fun on the field, we obviously play better. With Mo being like that all that time, it kind of keeps things in perspective — it is just a game. We get caught up in it, but it's not more than that; it's fun.
We do it because we want to have fun, so having Mo like being like that, being a goofball all the time, it brings me back down to, it's just a game.
Frierson: Where would you go if you were given all the time and money you needed to travel anywhere in the world? And who would you take with you?
DiCarlo: I think I would go to Italy with my sister, because I'm Italian, full Italian, everybody in my family is from Italy. I went there my mom and my grandma, but I haven't been able to go and see all of our family members with my sister yet. I think that would be really cool to go with her.
Frierson: I'm actually going to Italy on Friday, the whole family is going to Tuscany for a week.
DiCarlo: I'm working right now to get my dual-citizenship. It's a crazy process, so in like two years I'll have my appointment to get the dual-citizenship at the embassy. It'll be really cool once I get that.
Frierson: I'm immediately thinking about the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and is there a chance you could play for Italy now that softball is returning to the Olympics?
DiCarlo: Yes, I have talked to them, but my dream since I was a little kid was to play on the USA team. I feel like if I do [play for Italy], I'm settling, so I'm going to try to play for the USA team, I'm going to try out next year.
If that doesn't work, yes, I want to go play for Italy, because that would be awesome if it all pans out, but playing for the USA team has been a dream of mine since I was little.
Frierson: It sounds like the Olympics bringing softball back in 2020 was a big moment for you.
DiCarlo: Yes, very meaningful. I've been talking about it forever, so seeing that was really cool, because now it's like, it can be reality. Now it's a dream that I can work towards instead of just being like, I wish I could do it.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
