by Navindra Persaud
Central Connecticut softball has been playing well this year, in no small part to exemplary performance by one of the team’s youngest players: freshman Alexis Debrosse.
Debrosse comes to New Britain by way of New Bedford High School in New Bedford, Mass. where she was named player of the year three times.
The short stop has been taking care of business both on field and at the plate. Debrosse has managed to tally up 16 RBIs, 13 runs and four home runs in just 29 games so far this season, with an overall batting average of .357. Her intensity shows through in every at bat and in the way she plays her position, able to range in both directions to make plays and able to throw runners out very effectively.
“I played it all year round. My dad played baseball his whole life. He went to college and played baseball and my siblings play, so it was basically around my whole life,” said Debrosse when asked why she chose softball despite playing soccer and basketball in high school as well.
“It was also one of my best sports so I figured I’d make a career out of it right now.”
Debrosse says that her family is very supportive of her in both school and softball. She also says they usually come to every game; her mother, a teacher, and father, a firefighter, try to make it every home game to cheer her on.
“Coming from Massachusetts out of high school, it’s been really different competition-wise,” said Debrosse. “New Bedford didn’t really have many female athletes, so coming out the teams that had really good athletes weren’t from around the area.”
Her interest in CCSU came from junior Alyssa McCoart. “I played travel [softball] with her, and she told me how much she loved the school and the program, and how great it was, and I took a chance and I love the program here.”
“As soon as we got here everyone accepted the freshman, even the seniors worked with us,” said Debrosse. “From the second week out everyone was talking and hanging out. So it really made us feel like we were at home.”
Debrosse is listed as a shortstop, but has seen time this season at third base, as well; that required some adjustment.
“Well I’ve never played third base, so it’s definitely a new atmosphere for me out there. Getting quick backhands is probably one of my weaknesses, so I’ve been working on that,” said Debrosse, who looks quite confident at the position.
The shining shortstop is very encouraging on the field, and though there is a clear difference in the competition she has faced before, she remains quite optimistic about what the team should be able to accomplish throughout the remainder of the season.
Debrosse is majoring in criminology, and as a three time All-Scholastic player in high school, it is evident that while the game of softball is very important in her life, she is also very involved in her studies at CCSU.
“School is very important to me. I want to go to law school after, and obviously you need to have good grades to do that. I want to have about a 3.0 GPA,” said Debrosse. “I actually enjoy going to class it’s probably one of the best parts of the day.”
Debrosse says that she is trying to double major in accounting, but isn’t quite sure how it will go at the moment. As for the rest of the season, the Blue Devils, who are now 21-12, have a way to go, but Debrosse remains optimistic and confident in her teammates.
“We have some tough teams coming up, but we definitely have the capability of beating everybody and coming out on top every game. We have a good roster one through nine, our pitching is awesome and we can hit like no other team.”
“She’s a solid hitter,” said acting head coach Breanne Gleason of Debrosse before the start of the season. “She’s probably one of the best athletes on the team.” Gleason has said she’s especially admirable of the fact that Debrosse is just a freshman and steps up every time she goes up to bat.
Debrosse certainly is not afraid to take a swing, and her growing offensive totals can attest to that. As a freshman, she has contributed with the confidence of a junior or senior, meaning Blue Devils fans have a good chance to see some great things out of Debrosse for three more years.