RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
The softball journey of 2024 grad Alexia Carrasquillo is like the script of a Hollywood movie or a three-act theatrical play:
- In Act 1, the scene is set in establishing how special, talented and successful the subject is and why he or she is likable (or at least of significant interest).
- In Act 2, comes the conflict… the trial or the obstacle that will test the protagonist to the core. The baptism by fire, if you will.
- In Act 3, we see the battles the hero goes through to get back to the top of the mountain and achieve the ultimate success… the crowning moment… the triumphant finale.
It’s a great story and one everyone can savor when it’s over; but what about when you’re still finishing up Act 2 and the final scenes of Act 3 have yet to be played out?
That’s the situation of Alexia, who has been on top of the softball mountain—at least when it comes to the recruiting aspect of it all—but has seen that all can be taken away too.
And now, she’s in the final act where the script is still being written and we softball fans are waiting anxiously to see how the story ends.
One thing is for sure, however: this kid is going to succeed, no matter what that looks like, because of her overwhelming passion to be the best she can be—in softball, sure, but in the eyes of God, too.
Early Success
If you know your softball history going back five or six years, you know that Alexia was a child softball prodigy, if you will.
Extra Inning Softball, in fact, called her that very thing in an article published in early 2018 that included the sub-head: Meet “The Prodigy:” 6th Grader Alexia Carrasquillo.
“By definition,” the article noted, “a ‘prodigy’ is ‘a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities’ and that is a perfect description for fast-rising catcher Alexia Carrasquillo from Woodstock, Georgia, a middle school sixth grader.”
Everything seemed to be going her way when Alexia became the youngest player ever to commit to a DI college as we detailed in this article (one of 62 Extra Inning Softball has done which references the 2024 grad) where the pre-teen said:
“My dream school was always the Florida Gators. I lived in Florida from the time I was one year old until the age of nine, so my dream has always been to be a Gator!”
Carrasquillo committed to Tim Walton and his staff on Sunday, January 7, 2018, after a strong showing at the Faster2First event held in Vero Beach, Florida.
On the eight-hour drive back to Woodstock, Georgia—the family’s hometown—the athlete and her parents, Raul and Wanda, stopped in Gainesville to meet with the Florida coaching staff and made it official.
Alexia had previously been to the Univ. of Florida campus the previous Fall for the Gators’ camp and had earlier taken unofficial visits to UCLA, Oklahoma with additional interest from South Carolina, Georgia, LSU, Washington and Ole Miss.
All of that while she was the sixth grade, remember.
And, when Extra Inning Softball chose this story as one of its Top 15 Stories of 2018, it was also noted that “it may have been the catalyst for those who worried the early commits, which were getting younger and younger, which were getting out of hand.”
That article continued:
“At the 2017 NFCA Convention in Las Vegas, the push was made to recommend Early Recruiting Rules be put into play prohibiting prospective student athletes (PSAs) from not only being offered and thus committing, but even being contacted.”
“By April (2018), rules were in place limiting PSA contact and the recruiting process switched more to college coaches tracking older players.”
That—the ending of the recruiting rules where pre-teens could be recruited—became Extra Inning Softball’s No. 1 Story of the Year in 2018.
The Middle Act
Although NCAA rules were changed so that college coaches could no longer actively recruit younger players before their junior year in high school, that didn’t impact Alexia as she had already committed. She would even go to Gator camps after her verbal where she was viewed as a sort of softball celebrity—certainly to younger kids who wanted to be like her.
Her father, Raul, said at the time, towards the end of 2018:
“Post-committing, there was criticism and we even had parents and players who wouldn’t look at us anymore. We can’t help those situations and the negativity got to another level where, at times, it wasn’t too fun for us at parents, but, for Alexia, she simply didn’t understand the negativity.”
Her mother, Wanda, added at that same time:
“To this day, she (Alexia) still gets Instagram messages of support and of players wanting to be her friend. She went to the Florida camp and there were other players who asked to have their picture taken with her. If anything, people want to see her and appreciate her skills for being so young. Alexia loves the social side of softball and getting to meet new people and make new friends, so this has been fun for her so far.”
The fun, at least when it came to staying on path to play for the University of Florida and become another Amanda Lorenz or Skylar Wallace didn’t last forever, however.
Within two years, the Florida coaching staff had backed off the scholarship offer and a spot on the Gators’ roster in 2024 for reasons that aren’t officially addressed publicly for obvious reasons: college coaches can’t talk about recruits until they have signed a Letter of Intent.
There were, as one would imagine, the whispers and gossip in the softball world as to why Florida retracted the original offer (that IS why they are called verbal commits, after all, as nothing has been finalized until the prospect is officially signed) and the “I-told-you-so’s” became rampant in some snobby softball circles.
There was unsubstantiated conjecture that maybe it was because Alexia peaked athletically too young… or maybe it’s because the parents, especially her father, were very vocal and a distraction—though many, including club coaches the athlete has played for, have refuted this theory.
Some saw a red flag in how many club teams the 2024 grad has been a part of—from the Impact to the Mojo to the Hotshots to the Batbusters to the Virginia Unity and some squads in-between—though many coaches, a surprising amount actually, based on what one might expect—saw her transferring to other teams as a positive opportunity for Alexia to move up in age division or to play steeper competition.
In other words, they were OK with the moves and were even supportive of them, for the most part, as they saw these changes as a way for Alexia to advance and improve her game.
Others saw Alexia as being a prospect without a true position wondering, does she have an arm strong enough to be behind the plate? The quickness to play third or the middle infield? The size to be at first? And so on and so on.
Last Fall, it should be noted, the catcher threw out a speedy lead-off hitter committed to an SEC school who tested Alexia’s arm and was nailed attempting to steal second. Alexia attributes that success and others like it to her improvements made working with her position trainer.
“Coach Austin Wasserman helped me by identifying that my throwing sequence was off,” the catcher explains. “He mentioned to me that it’s like hitting: if your sequence is off, you won’t hit effectively. He has shown me how to use my body to throw better.”
Perhaps it was a combo of some or all or none of the above… in any case, as happens frequently in sports, both team and player had to move on and, just as a college program can offer a scholarship, it can retract one before the prospect is officially signed.
Suddenly, Alexia was an Extra Elite 100 top player without a certain future, at least in terms of where she’d play at the next level. The recruiting process, the talk off the field, the attention and notoriety—all of that, the young athlete couldn’t control—but what she could control was her work ethic and drive to be her best.
Looking back upon the situation, Alexia today believes she is wiser for the experiences and her resolve to maximize her skills and abilities remains stronger than ever.
She says proudly:
“I kept working hard and stayed focused. I am committed… committed to the process. This journey will make twists and turns, but I am seeking a college to call home.”
Though optimistic about what’s ahead, Alexia doesn’t hide the scars of having gone through a very public ordeal.
“When this whole situation took place, it was very hard on me and on my family,” the soon-to-be senior admits today.
“The news was very tough to hear,” she remembers. “I’m not going to lie, after that my performance was not the same. I was second guessing myself and not playing like I usually do. I was not myself on the field because of all the rumors about my mechanics. So, that right there, led up to me not really performing like my normal self.”
And the pressure wasn’t just self-inflicted.
“What was even more sad was that grown-ups were trying to ruin it for me too,” she recalls. “I decided to really trust in God and know that He has my back. I was not really sure why I got decommitted, but it is what it is and we just keep moving forward.”
Again, the mature high schooler sees a bigger picture in play here.
“I always believe that God puts situations in our lives for a reason,” Alexia continues. “Throughout this situation that took place, I decided to keep my head up, wipe away the tears, and keep moving forward. My parents have always taught me to never give up. They are my biggest support system and they always said to me from a young age that whenever something knocks you down, you do not stay down.”
She makes a comparison to a classic sports movie figure when looking back at her own journey.
“You get up and get up stronger than you were before. Just like Rocky Balboa says in the movie: ‘It ain’t about how hard you hit. It is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.’”
And move forward she did, with impressive results since her early commit process five years ago.
In the Summer of 2020, for example, Alexia was named to the Extra Inning Softball “All-Summer Team (14U) after she hit .408 with a .503 OBP during the travel ball season with 52 hits, 15 doubles, four homers and 52 RBIs.
At the Bolts 5-Star Showcase in November of that year (2020) against elite competition, Alexia batted .667 with a .750 on-base percentage. In the same event a year later (2021), the dangerous hitter went 11-for-11 with three homers and had zero stolen bases against her when she was behind the plate.
For her Lake Minneola (Minneola, Fla.) High team last year (2022), Alexia compiled a .459 batting average with 11 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 36 runs scored and 20 RBIs.
Her high school coach, Jimmy Mayo, raved about his high school athlete for her efforts on and off the field.
“As a member of the softball team, Alexia has exhibited excellent leadership to her peers. Additionally, Alexia has this softball spirit about her that is very infectious and she has fantastic communication skills while being one of the hardest workers that I’ve ever seen. Alexia carries herself in a polite and respectable manner and is the ultimate team player.”
“In addition to being an excellent softball player,” the prep coach continued, “Alexia is a devout student who has always presented herself with level headedness and grace. She is an absolute pleasure to coach and is a perfect example of a student-athlete.”
And the incoming senior has done it all in a way that would make pro athletes envious of her work habits.
Alexia, over the last year alone, has:
- taken speed and agility lessons three times a week,
- worked with respected coach Rob Crews including virtual lessons and flying up to New York to meet with him in person,
- driven with her father 3 ½ hours to meet with Austin Wasserman to fine-tune her throwing mechanics
- improved her batting skills with weekly batting lessons from Coach Rupert Woods.
- gone to the gym 3-4 times per week for a tailored weight training,
- … and done all this while maintaining a 4.0-plus GPA.
Last Summer (2022), Alexia and her parents made the choice to shadow the championship-winner Batbusters program led by legendary coach Mike Stith, who has coached 95 players over the last decade who would go on be named as College All-Americans including players you may have heard of like Jocelyn Alo, Tiare Jennings and others.
Alexia didn’t get much playing time on the juggernaut 18U team, but the athlete herself looked at it as a great opportunity to learn from the best.
“Going to California and being with the Batbusters for two months was an amazing experience,” Alexia recalls. “Coach Mike welcomed me with open arms, and I was surrounded by greatness the whole summer. He has coached the best of the best and, for me to be a part of this atmosphere, was just incredible.”
Coach Stith, a big proponent of learning from successes and failures in life, points to the story of Alo who, when playing for him at 18U, was demoted to a 16U team because she “wasn’t working as hard as she should have.”
“I said, ‘Screw this, you’re going to have to do what we say,’ and Jocelyn sucked it up. Her dad, Levi told her: ‘Go prove it, prove them wrong who doubt you,’ and she did. Jocelyn didn’t quit.”
And we know how that story end up… national titles at Oklahoma, National Player of the Year, etc.
The Batbusters head man feels that Alexia has this type of potential, too.
“In 2019, when she was on Mark Campbell’s team and, after he passed away, we brought her out and she did great at Nationals that year, the team took 5th place, and Alexia was phenomenal.”
Coach Stith speaks highly of her abilities and accomplishments on and off the field.
“Alexia is a 4.2 GPA student, is a wonderful worker and is great in the clubhouse,” Coach Stith adds. “All I did was talk to her and teach. Not one time did she frown or look down, nor did she show signs of now wanting to being there.”
As for her skills at the plate, Coach Stith adds: “Alexia can hit at an elite level. She’ll help a college. This kid’s going to hit and be an elite college level hitter. If any college coach questions Alexia, they need to call me… I will squash that.”’
The Batbusters head man concludes by recognizing that the young player was a “lightning rod for early recruiting.”
“Alexia was in the wrong place at the wrong time when it came to recruiting,” he concludes. “Still, she’s grown up from all of this and, if I’m at a college, I want someone who has battled through difficult times and no one has battled more than Alexia.”
The athlete appreciates the experience she had and what she learned in her time with the West Coast powerhouse club organization.
“This past summer was a great experience with the Batbusters – Stith 18u team and I will always be thankful for Coach Mike,” Alexia says with appreciation. “I spent the entire summer staying with his daughter, Coach Katie Stith, and am super grateful that she opened up her home to me and took me under her wing.”
“Coach Mike even gave me chores to do; I had to vacuum the facility after training, but it was a great feeling because—even though vacuuming is not fun—I felt like it was a way for me to give back to him after everything he has done for me.”
Born Again… Alexia 2.0
In the New Testament, James 1:2-4 reads:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
The Carrasquillo family has certainly gone through some trying times and had their patience tested—thus why the above scriptures verses resonate so much for the family today.
On October 30, 2022, Alexia and her parents were baptized by a pastor into their born-again Christian church.
“We were born again,” as Raul puts it, “as a reset on life.”
“Getting baptized means everything to me,” Alexia agrees. “I have decided to fully commit to the Lord.”
She’s a volunteer at her River Church in Clermont, Fla., helping with food drives to assist needy families. Time and schedule permitting, Alexia also attends a church youth group every Wednesday night and goes to church on Sundays when not traveling for softball.
Excited about her faith in God, Alexia has also kept the faith when it comes to her softball future.
“I shook off the cobwebs, and started my journey from scratch,” the softball standout recalls. “I was not going to give up at all. I am determined every day to play at the college level and this was not going to knock me down.”
“I want to be an inspiration to the young ones who are up and coming, that it does not matter where they are at with their recruiting, keep pushing and do not give up, but I do have to say through this reset that I have met so many great people, and I am still meeting people that are encouraging, uplifting, and who are rooting for me.”
Today, she plays for Coach Jay Ross of Virginia Unity who, previously having coached her with the Mojo organization, has been with Alexia and her family since, well, pretty much the start of her softball journey.
At 10U, the young softballer played for him and was part of a tremendously talented team that finished that Summer undefeated with an incredible 74-0 record and a PGF National Championship.
“I’m excited to be once again playing for Coach Ross on the Unity – Johnson/Ross team,” Alexia states. “This will be my third time playing for Coach Jay and Coach Tommy Bain. I only left prior just to play up and challenge myself.”
Coach Ross, for his part, feels that the third time is the charm… or hopes it will be for the team, player, family and coaching staff.
“I have had a bit of a front row seat from the beginning,” Coach Ross begins, “and was there fielding calls on her behalf as a 6th grade phenom (pre recruiting rule changes). Alexia always had the dream to play for a major program and backed that dream with a work ethic and commitment other 11 and 12-year-olds couldn’t comprehend.”
“She carried herself in the ballpark and within the game with tremendous confidence that some outsiders saw as arrogant, although Alexia was the furthest thing from that. She was just like every other kid we had on the team with her innocence and a genuine care for all of her teammate’s success. She was just built different, Alexia carried herself differently and worked on her trade differently then the majority of kids at that age and that produced great success for her at this early age.”
“As fate would have it,” Ross continues, “Alexia was afforded an offer to verbally commit early on, which created a firestorm within our sport. This created a tremendous amount of joy for this young lady; however, it created a ton of ugliness from the outside that forced her and family into a very defensive position of defending themselves constantly. This is the side of our sport that is crushing to young women, parents, family members and takes a tremendous toll on the mental health of these athletes.
“Through this all, however, Alexia kept her head down and worked before school, after school and traveled many miles to train with great instructors in order to fulfill her opportunity. I have always admired the innocence, enthusiasm and love of the game that Alexia has, and I have always been friends of the family and we have always been able to share our opinions openly about decisions without losing sight that the journey is about Alexia.”
Coach Ross remembers:
“What started as a joyful journey,” he compares metaphorically, “became a dark and icy drive along an unpaved road atop a snow-covered mountain. Now you are faced with a decision at 14-years-old of ‘Do you lay around and cry, feel sorry for yourself, give up on your dream because life kicked you in the teeth or do you dig deep within yourself and start road mapping for another opportunity?’”
“Alexia had long talks with her parents and decided to create Alexia 2.0 to focus in on areas of improvement, change her training and trainers, change environments, seek the word of God and allow her church family to help her process,” Ross adds.
“She found a renewed energy, a renewed love, a renewed passion and strength of faith to stare down Goliath once again. She took a Summer to train out West with a great organization (the Batbusters) and strong development of her field position.”
“She decided to return to a team and coaching staff—ours here at Unity— that supports her through difficult times and provides her a highly-competitive environment from within her own dugout. Seeing that smile return to that innocent face gives you the feeling that she has embraced the landmines that she previously navigated and gives credence to the adage ‘The comeback is always better than the setback.’”
The Unity coach sums it up by saying:
“It’s a ton of fun sharing the dugout with this kid and her family. I don’t know what or where this journey will take her, but I do know, someone is going to get a difference maker that won’t be phased by the bright lights or dark dorm rooms. Watching Alexia’s maturity and perseverance through the years has left me inspired as well as many around her. Her story should provide hope for those struggling with life’s disappointments.
Lessons Learned (i.e. Act 3 Is Now)
This Summer is a crucial one for the young athlete in her journey to get recruiting and to decide her future collegiate softball path.
Focused on maximizing her athleticism and getting ready for the big summer where she will be, basically, “auditioning” in front of college coaches, Alexia didn’t play high school ball this year but instead upped her workouts and skills training.
Combine that with not getting a rep last Summer when working with—but mostly observing—the Batbusters, she has frankly not had a lot of game action over the last calendar year.
Still, Coach Ross’s primary focus is on getting Alexia committed so a lot will have to be done in a short amount of time. It’s crunch time and everything the 2024 grad has gone through has prepared her for this point.
“Alexia and the Carrasquillo family have returned ‘home,’” Coach Ross believes, “to show the softball community how adversity can be overcome and, hopefully, her story may have a positive impact on another student-athlete who might be experiencing some of the same tough issues.”
“Alexia has worked with, and continues to train with, some of the very best professional developmental coaches the game has to offer—from throwing workouts to receiving, hitting, agility, strength and conditioning in order to reach her personal goals.”
“So often, people—meaning ‘players and parents’—are misunderstood and judgement gets levied for various reasons, but I am extremely proud of Alexia’s personal strength to approach every day in a positive manner. I can’t wait to watch Alexia help lead another team at the next level. Her journey really is one of focus, confidence and triumph.”
Her parents, seeing up-close how dedicated she is to the sport and improving her skills to play at the next level—wherever that may be—are understandably proud.
“Alexia has amazed us throughout her journey from Day 1,” her father says. “For her to be still engaged and want to get better after certain trials and tribulations, we are super proud of her and how this kid still keeps her head up and looks forward not backwards.”
“We are putting God first and we know that when one door closes it was for a reason, and a better one will open. This kid of ours is determined and driven to fulfill her dreams to play college softball. Her energy and presence are something else. You can just feel when Alexia enters a room–her energy lets you know she is there. We as her parents will continue to support her and help her in any way possible.”
And, finally, what advice does Alexia have after all she’s gone through and with her future story still to be written but with the final act playing out soon?
“If I can tell any player out there something, it would be: ‘Never stop fighting. Dream big. Pursue your dreams, never give up, and there may be a lot of things to get you off track but stay faithful and stay in your course.’”
She turns inward and expresses her love and appreciate to her family when she concludes:
“My parents have really been nothing but supportive and have been my No. 1 coaches throughout this journey. They are always motivating me on a daily basis and my Dad, who is my Rocky Balboa, said this: ‘No, we are not giving up, we are going to figure this out! Your journey isn’t over! Your dream is not over!’”
“Now, let’s wait to see what God has in store for me because, without God, you don’t have anything. #LeavingItUptoGod
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball