DeLorenzo snags a college softball scholarship
GILROY – Since Bria DeLorenzo was 10 years old, she has always dreamed of playing softball at the college level.
The senior catcher watched as older Gilroy High players like Sarah Caudle (Baylor University), Andrea Bunten (Canisius College) and Jennifer Olvera (Vanguard University) all earned scholarships to play college ball.
The four-year varsity player hoped this year would be her turn to entertain offers from college programs. But even knowing what she wanted for years did not make it an easy decision for her.
“I’ve always wanted to go and play in college. As the years wore on, it just seemed more and more likely,” said DeLorenzo, who has been a stalwart behind the plate for the Lady Mustangs since she was a freshman. “I was like that’s what I want to do.”
DeLorenzo caught the eye of the head coach from Notre Dame De Namur University when she was playing with her travel team, the San Jose Strikers, in the fall. The college coach spoke with her travel coach, and then e-mailed DeLorenzo to let her know he was interested.
Excited about the opportunity, DeLorenzo visited the campus in Belmont, near San Francisco, and thought it could be the place for her. But she still was not sure if it was exactly where she wanted to go. So DeLorenzo decided to speak with Bunten, someone who had been there done that.
“She said make a list of what you want in a school and what you’re looking for, and make a list of what Notre Dame has and then decide from there,” DeLorenzo said. “I decided it was the right school for me.”
Once her mind was made up, DeLorenzo talked with the college coach about a scholarship. One month later when she was at home with a friend, DeLorenzo received a letter in the mail. It was a $12,000 scholarship to play softball at Notre Dame.
“I was really excited,” DeLorenzo said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God’ and I was really tentative at first because I really wanted to, but I just wanted to make sure it was the right school for me.”
It was.
DeLorenzo’s lifelong dream had finally come true. She was going to continue her softball career in college, just like so many of her former teammates before her.
“I’m just excited that one of these girls is going to go on and play at a four-year college and continue their softball experience,” Lady Mustang skipper Julie Berggren said. “It’s such a different experience once they get to the college level. For Bria to be able to continue her career excites me.”
In DeLorenzo, Notre Dame De Namur University is getting a top-notch player with an unmatchable desire and passion for the game. From the minute she put on her catcher’s equipment and stepped behind the plate, DeLorenzo knew she it was the perfect position for her.
“I’ve always been a catcher. I’ve played every other position. I’ve even pitched once in my life in minors. It wasn’t the same. Home plate was my home,” DeLorenzo said. “It just comes naturally to me. It was just something I picked up really easily.”
Catcher is not a position for just anyone. You have to be tough. You have to be knowledgeable about so many aspects of the game. You have to be a leader out there, and that’s exactly what DeLorenzo is for Gilroy.
“You have to be able to read hitters. You just have to constantly know what’s going on and me, I have a big mouth so I like being in control. It’s just the perfect position for me,” DeLorenzo said. “It’s just something that I need, being in control of the pitcher, what she’s throwing, and the defense.”
Being the only senior on this year’s varsity team was blessing in disguise for DeLorenzo, who has become a role model and natural leader for the younger players.
“This is my third year with her and I’m going to miss her so much next year. The whole program is going to miss her so much next year,” Berggren said. “She’s been leading them and guiding them in so many different ways this year that I think she will still be here next year even though she physically isn’t here.”
Before the start of her senior season, DeLorenzo had a little bit of a scare. She injured the shoulder of her throwing arm, and wasn’t able to toss the ball around until two days prior to the season. But like the warrior she is, DeLorenzo worked hard to rehab it and has not missed a game.
“This year, my arm’s been hurt, so it hasn’t been feeling as good. But I just kind of ignore it. It pops out every once in a while in a game,” said DeLorenzo, who just takes a trip to the mound when she tweaks it and then goes back behind the plate. “It’s my senior year and I’m going to go out throwing and give it my all.”
When runners are on base, DeLorenzo is at her best. She loves the challenge of throwing base-stealers out and, more times than not, that’s exactly what she continues to do. DeLorenzo even has developed a sixth sense about when they are going to break.
“You can’t tell all the time, but some of them you can because if you watch them from the time they’re there, you can tell there’s a little bit of a difference between their lead-off when they are going to steal,” she said.
DeLorenzo thrives under the pressure like any great player would. When a runner is on third base, she revels in the opportunity to tag them out at home plate.
“My favorite thing is when there is a runner coming in from third and you’re just sitting with the ball and they are trying to get through. It’s like you’re not going to get through,” DeLorenzo said. “Some people get nervous with a runner on third, but I love it. I hope they get a hit and come home.”
“She’s such a wall back there,” Berggren added. “She plays with so much determination back there. That helps her so much. That and being gifted at the same time. It makes her unbeatable and unstoppable.”
The 18-year-old student-athlete is just as determined in the classroom as she is on the softball diamond. DeLorenzo is a student trainer at Gilroy High School for football and basketball, always looking out for her fellow classmates. She plans on majoring in kineseology and minoring in education at Notre Dame.
In the interim, DeLorenzo is determined not to fail, setting up an off-season training program to get her ready for college ball.
“It’s going to take a lot of conditioning during the summer, a lot of work on my own,” said DeLorenzo, who plans on working with her cousin, Marissa Nowakowski. “When I was there, the coach stressed how important off-season conditioning is. I know that’s something I need to step into. I can’t just go over there off the couch. I need to be ready.”
And if DeLorenzo misses her family when she is away, her older brother, Daniel, lives nearby in San Francisco. In addition, her parents and younger brother, Vinny, are just a short hour south in Gilroy.
