Gia Giovanello is a freshman softball player on the varsity squad in her first season and she has been making a huge impact early on. She’s looking to keep her momentum going forward throughout the rest of the season. 

“The cause of the success that I have been having is probably my mindset and my new hitting coach. I make sure my mindset is always positive even when I make mistakes. I’ve gone to my new hitting coach two times and I feel it has made a huge difference.”

Other than playing for OA, Gia spends her winter playing for her club team, South Shore Chaos. Just as she is for her school, on that team Gia is a versatile player, bouncing between playing outfield, shortstop, and catching.

“I honestly never really have an offseason due to my club team.I think club makes a difference for all of the extra reps. But, when I do have about a month break, I still make sure to constantly workout and work on mechanics for my swing and fielding.”

Other than her commitment to the sport, Gia enjoys the experience just as much. After just a short experience so far, she has made so many memories with her teammates and is learning to love the environments she plays in. 

“My favorite memory has definitely been the players, coaches and all of the fans. They lift me up every time I mess up and make me feel so special when I do something good. Having friends on the team has made my experience so much better and I felt so welcomed right away.”

With her career in OA softball just beginning, Gia wants to keep working to play to her full potential. She understands that the key to achieving this is through hard work and a strong mentality. 

“For me to keep playing well is consistency. To keep practicing everyday and take every practice seriously. Not just going through the motions but to really focus on what I need to do well. Another key part in the mental state. I need to have a positive mindset no matter the situation because having a negative mindset can really affect your game.”

Varsity Head Coach Lindsey Allison had nothing but praise for Gia because her stats as a freshman are almost unheard of. 

“Currently Gia is batting .344 with 4 home runs, 11 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Additionally, she has accumulated 7 stolen bases. An impressive stat often overlooked is that 8 of those 11 RBIs were knocked in with 2 outs against us in the inning.”

Besides Gia’s outstanding stats in the game, Coach Allison admires Gia’s composure and persona as an athlete. Her description matches a player that any coach would want on their team, no matter the circumstances she is faced with.

“For a freshman to be able to handle the situations she is put in game by game with the calm, unaffected attitude that she continues to have is beyond impressive. She is coachable, composed, focused and driven, and OA Softball is lucky to have her.”