University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Justice Milz
February 05, 2020 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Justice Milz is ready for a busy February. The Georgia softball senior and the 16th-ranked Bulldogs open their season Friday afternoon against Howard in the Red & Black Showcase. That will be the first of 24 games this month – that's a busy, busy start.
During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Milz, who hit .307 last season, talked about how you keep things fresh when you play so many games. She also talked about home — she's from Kearney, Mo., but her parents recently moved to Georgia — as well as how she's changed in her time at Georgia, dancing and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: You all have a ton of games to play this month, so how do you keep things fresh when you're playing game after game after game?
Milz: Well, we had an idea in the locker room the other day to just make a giant calendar and write down every single game that we have and just taking it game by game, and maybe having incentives for ourselves as a team. ... We've got a lot of seniors on the team this year so it's kind of bittersweet for us and we're trying to make it the most enjoyable season for us and our younger teammates.
We're excited to play somebody else because we've been practicing really hard and we're ready to put all of that to work.
Frierson: Does it feel weird to think of yourself as a senior?
Milz: Yeah, I still feel kind of young, but it's kind of an emotional rollercoaster. You get sad at times but then I'm really excited to see what we can do as a team because we look good. I don't know, the last time playing softball it's really bittersweet. I'm just trying to make the most of it and have a joyful time — we get to practice, we get to go to weights. It's exciting.
Frierson: How have you changed the most since you first got here?
Milz: I've changed a lot, actually [laughs] in the past four years. As a person, really, more so than as a softball player. I've gained a lot of confidence over the years, just as I've been playing softball forever. And I think I've become a better leader and a better daughter and sister because of softball, and just a better friend, building my relationships with other people. All of that has become more important to me than just the game of softball.
Frierson: When you think of home, what comes to mind?
Milz: I think of my safe place, my getaway. Georgia has been my home for the past four years and my parents just moved here in the summer, and so when I think of home I think of just driving 30 minutes down the road to see my dad and get to hit with him in the cages for a few last times.
I also think of my teammates and how we're all family.
Frierson: If you could go anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go and who would you take with you?
Milz: I just recently went to the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas, so I've been there. I really want to go to Alaska because I love mountains, but at the same time I've always wanted to go to Australia.Â
Who would I take? If I had a significant other I would definitely take them. I don't know, there are a lot of people I would take.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing 10 years from now?
Milz: Ten years from now I own my own facility, training athletes in baseball and softball. I'm making money selling t-shirts, my own name-brand; I'm YouTube famous, just an influencer and I would travel around the world talking to people. Just have fun with life.
I just started getting the YouTube ball rolling, so I can start that.
Frierson: That kind of ties into my next question, do you have a creative side? Are there creative things you do or wish you could do?
Milz: I tried to do TikToks for a little bit but that didn't really work out for me because it was a lot of work. I like to sing, so that's something I've been picking up as an outlet outside of softball. I've always wanted to be a worship singer.
Other than that, I'm starting on YouTube and I think that's going to be a cool thing to be talking about stuff during the season, about being a student-athlete and influencing the younger generation.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Milz: Oh, Japanese hibachi. That's my favorite food ever. I get the teriyaki chicken, fried rice, chow mien, shrimp, vegetables, zucchini.
Frierson: What's the best walk-up song ever? Or is there a perfect walk-up song?
Milz: My walk-up song this year, one of them is "Desperado" by Rihanna, I like that one a lot.
Frierson: What does a good walk-up song have to have?
Milz: It's got to have some beat to it, you know you've got to get the people going. It can't be too slow, it can't be too fast — it has to have a saying so that people can sing along to it, something that will trigger the brain every time you come up.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Milz: Hip-hop dancing [laughs]. I'd like to be a dancer.
Frierson: Are there dance routines that you all have choreographed in the locker room?
Milz: Yes. We haven't done any this year besides TikTok dances but we will be doing dances this year because it's the last year we get to do them together. Rain delays, be looking for videos; throughout the season, be looking for videos. We're going to be doing more dances this year.
There's always more within a team than just softball, which is a good thing. It's a little outlet for us. When it's stressful we can all just dance around with each other in the locker room.
(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.
