Ohio State softball’s sophomore pitcher Alex DiDomenico is making strides to be a star player for the Buckeyes after pitching her fourth complete shutout win of the season over the weekend at the Cherry Blossom Classic.
In OSU’s game Saturday against Canisius in Fairfax, Va., DiDomenico struck out three batters and allowed one hit in six innings of play. The Buckeyes won, 8-0.
DiDomenico received her first career Big Ten weekly honor of Pitcher of the Week Feb. 18.
“It was very exciting for her, but I think most importantly it was the fact that what she did was a team effort,” said OSU softball coach Kelly Schoenly.
The Youngstown native’s athletic journey began when she was young.
“My dad got me into the sport when I was like 5, and my sister played, too,” DiDomenico said. “They love the sport and they are my biggest supporters, you know, it’s really important to us.”
DiDomenico was also selected as an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete in 2012, an achievement that she said she credits to knowing her priorities.
“It’s always tough, but really, it’s prioritizing your time and knowing how to put what’s important first,” DiDomenico said.
When DiDomenico finds time to unwind, it is not unusual to catch her watching the movie “Pitch Perfect” with teammate sophomore catcher Shelby Pickett, catching up on needed sleep or keeping up with schoolwork.
DiDomenico’s teammates also said they often play pranks on her because she has a good sense of humor.
“We went around in a circle and everyone had to say ‘woof,’ and it had a name after it, and hers was ‘woof arted,'” Pickett said. “So when you put it together, it’s ‘who farted’ and she had no idea until the end and it was hilarious.”
Schoenly said DiDomenico’s determination on and off the field is a characteristic that is hard to miss.
“She’s a boxer, a fighter, she’s a bulldog, she’s all of those words,” Schoenly said. “She might get knocked down, might get a hit, but we say she’ll bend, but she won’t break. So she’s definitely got that, ‘You might hit me once but I’m going to come back harder, fighting harder,’ mentality.”
DiDomenico said she’s keeping that intense focus on softball and school for the time being.
“I would really like to become an All-American and just keep working towards that, you know anything is possible,” DiDomenico said. “I just want a good education, hopefully a good job, but I don’t know, wherever life takes me.”
Schoenly said she expects great things in the future from DiDomenico.
“I think she’s one of those young women that is going to go and conquer the world,” Schoenly said. “I really feel like she’s got kind of an inner drive where she’s going to do something special because she’s got that energy and desire that you can feel it coming out.”
OSU is scheduled to play Indiana at Buckeye Field on Friday at 3 p.m. in the Buckeyes’ first conference game of the season.