On Thursday, as she was getting ready to fly to Florida for the Diamond9 Winter Sun Classic from her home in New Jersey, 2016 outfielder Alexis Bazos let Full Count Softball know she had some pretty exciting news:

“I am writing to let you know that I have accepted an offer from the University of Notre Dame.”

What’s fun about this great news is we’ve been able to follow closely the growth, development and recruiting process of Alexis over the last year highlighted by these two features:

• In August, we did a Rising Star profile on Alexis which included video of her
• Then, in October, Alexis was kind enough to document her successful performances at the West Coast Elite Camp where the Irish saw her…
  

… and now you’ll read her play-by-play about how the offer and commit from Notre Dame came to be!

***

This morning (Thursday, Jan. 15, 2014), I committed to the University of Notre Dame, which wrapped up a crazy and memorable ride that is the recruiting process!

Just two Sundays ago, I was hours away from making a commitment to an Ivy League School. I had narrowed my choice from other Ivy League schools I was considering as well as schools from several major conferences.

My Jersey Intensity team had practice that day and when I got to practice, I told my coach, Kevin O’Donnell, that I was ready to commit to that school. He said, “That is great, but the Notre Dame coaches are here at practice today and have already talked to me about you.”

At that point my dad said that we did not want to open up a new, long, recruiting process, as I was really ready to make a commitment. The Notre Dame coaches watched me closely, as I hit front toss and live pitching off of one of our best pitchers.

After the practice, Head Coach Deanna Gumpf spoke to my dad and me expressing her interest. We spoke of the possibility of me attending Notre Dame and I set up a visit to go look at the school.

I did not realize it, but they had notes on me from Derek Allister’s OnDeck West Coast Elite camp this past October at Mt. SAC in Calif. They also had watched one of my games in Huntington Beach.

My visit to Notre Dame was amazing.

The athletic facilities were incredible, the coaches were outstanding, and the current players could not have been any nicer. At the end of the visit, Coach Gumpf made me an offer.

Although I loved everything about the school, I had promised myself that I would not commit on the spot, as I wanted to take a day to think about things and confirm my decision.

I did just that, and this morning, I made it official.

Although things went very quickly in the last two weeks, the actual recruiting process started four years ago. I began emailing schools in the 8^th grade and started attending camps the summer before my freshman year.

From the time I started playing softball, I dreamed of playing at a prestigious academic university. Through sending e-mails, attending clinics, and making an occasional phone call, I began building relationships with college coaches.

At the time, I was playing for a local 14U tournament team. I soon realized that it was important for me to join a more competitive team.

For any student athlete hoping to play softball at a well-known university, the recruiting process seems to be difficult. This level of difficulty is exponentially increased when you are an outfielder from the Northeast.

I realized that I would need to face top competition (often in other parts of the country) in order to get the exposure I needed.

Going into my sophomore year of high school, I joined the New Jersey Cheetahs, and was excited to get the opportunity to play against girls from California, Florida, Texas, etc.

Understanding the academic qualifications one must have in order to play at a prestigious school, I took the SATs as a sophomore. Looking back, this was one of the most important steps of my process. My scores told college coaches that I was an academic candidate for their school. I stayed in contact with many schools, and made visits to speak with coaches in person.

During the spring of my sophomore year, I tore my ACL. Although at first I was devastated, I believe the entire rehab process made me a much better player.

I made it my mission to improve as many parts of my game as I could during a time when playing in games was not an option. Rehab forced me to strengthen both of my legs and take the time to continue to strengthen my upper body as well.

Remarkably, three months after surgery, I returned to the field and began competing again. College coaches were very supportive. I made a real effort to keep in touch with them throughout my recovery.

Going into my junior year, I was introduced to Coach O’Donnell. I was invited to try out for a spot on his high-profile Jersey Intensity team. From the second the tryout began, I knew that I wanted to be part of his organization.

Everyone with the Intensity was unbelievably welcoming. I am so lucky to belong to such an amazing family!

Ironically, going into my junior year I had not thought about attending Notre Dame even after I learned that Coach Kevin’s daughter, Brittany, had been a standout pitcher for the Irish.

With Notre Dame’s academic and athletic reputation, I knew the school would be a good fit for me, but I had never thought about it becoming a reality.

I am so thankful to everyone who has helped me achieve my goal of playing at the school with the best combination of academics and athletics.

While writing “thank you” emails this morning, I realized how many people had made an impact on my future.

Committing to a school is not the end. In fact, it is just the beginning.

I cannot wait to continue to prepare for my career at Notre Dame with the Jersey Intensity. I am looking forward to the summer season!

Alexis Bazos
Go Irish!