Andrea DiPrima does not like to talk about herself.
Every question about the sophomore’s personality resulted in an answer that somehow involved the team. She said if people should know one thing about her, it’s that she wants what’s best for Northwestern and she hates being in the spotlight.
This was no surprise to sophomore infielder Julia Kuhn, arguably DiPrima’s closest friend on the team.
DiPrima and Kuhn lived down the hall from each other freshman year and naturally gravitated to one another as teammates and hallmates. Kuhn said it is hard for her to see DiPrima as shy, but she remembers back to when the two first met during freshman year, and sees how other people could get that impression.
“When we moved in, she was a quiet girl who was so nice to everyone,” Kuhn said. “You thought, ‘She was just being nice because she wants to get to know people,’ but that’s how she is even when you get to know her … Once you get to know her there’s no going back.”
However, DiPrima’s modesty means she felt uncomfortable talking about being an incredible two-sport athlete at Buffalo Grove High School in Arlington Heights, Ill. DiPrima holds numerous school records on the diamond and on the basketball court.
She holds the record for most RBIs, hits, extra base hits and home runs in a season, all of which she set in 2010. However, DiPrima also holds the single-game and single-season 3-point field goal records.
But DiPrima still did not like to talk about her red-hot start to this season. After picking up just three hits in four games in Arizona, DiPrima went 14-for-29 in the Wildcats’ next nine contests.
She cooled off last weekend in Fullerton, Calif., where she only got one hit in nine official at-bats, but DiPrima is still second on the team with a .383 batting average and third with a .473 on base percentage.
It is a stark contrast to last season when DiPrima batted .250 in 22 appearances most of which came as a pinch hitter. Kuhn said the only difference she sees is in DiPrima’s confidence now that she is getting more opportunities to play. DiPrima said she knows more about herself this season.
“I just feel more comfortable in the box,” DiPrima said. “I’ve taken everything I learned from last year into this year, and I feel like I know my strike zone a little bit better.”
DiPrima’s performance in the batter’s box is something that caught the eye of Kate Drohan. The coach called DiPrima a “worker” and said DiPrima did a great job at being patient and waiting for her opportunities last season. Drohan said this year DiPrima has stayed calm in the batter’s box and has had excellent focus, two of the main attributes of a great hitter.
Drohan said she recruited DiPrima because she saw that the swing styles matched up well. She said DiPrima would have to make some adjustments, but she could tell DiPrima had the talent to make an impact for the Cats.
“She does a great job at keeping her hands inside the ball,” Drohan said. “Even when she mishits the ball something happens. We knew that offensively she could be a big part of our program it was just a matter of sticking with it.”
