Q and A With Softball Senior Shortstop Laura D'Andrea

By Jaimie McFarlin
Sports Information Student Assistant
Washington University in St. Louis

Laura D'Andrea is a senior psychology major from Mt. Prospect, Illinois. D’Andrea is batting .278, and while starting all of the team’s 37 games at shortstop. She leads the team with 71 assists. The No. 16 Washington University softball team is making its seventh-consecutive at-large appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Bears will play in an eight-team Midwest Regional this Thursday through Monday, May 8-12, at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.

How do you prepare for a big contest? What goes through your mind right before the competition starts?

Laura D'Andrea: I relax and don’t think too much about the game until we get to the field. During warm-ups, I think about my goals for the game, what my role for the game is, and try to keep everyone calm and relaxed. I think about what the pitcher is going to throw, what kind of hitters the other team has, and talk with the defense about what we need to look out for.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in your career?

Laura D'Andrea: My teammates – I will always work my hardest and play my best because I want to win for them.

What's your favorite saying or phrase uttered by your coach (or anyone on your coaching staff)?

Laura D'Andrea: “There are three parts to winning a ball game: hitting, pitching, and defense. You have to have two of the three to win.”

How has being a student-athlete at Washington U. helped or changed you?

Laura D'Andrea: The best part about being a student-athlete is learning how to be a part of a team that has a lot of very different kinds of people on it, and it has helped me become a better teammate. Being able to work well with other people and to achieve success as a team is a quality that I think is really valuable not just in sports but in life. So, I’m really grateful that I was able to learn these things as a student-athlete.  

What is your favorite activity outside of sports?

Laura D'Andrea: Doing anything outdoors.

Where is your favorite place to eat in St. Louis? Why?

Laura D'Andrea: Tiffany’s Diner, because of the delicious breakfast food and the charming ambiance.

What is your favorite class? What is your least favorite class?

Laura D'Andrea: My favorite classes have been Developmental and Cognitive Psychology. My least favorite was Linguistics. It was an interesting class, but I’m awful at grammar, so I had some trouble with it.

You’re a psychology major. What are you planning to do with your degree?

Laura D'Andrea: Next year I’ll be going to the University of Illinois Human Factors Program to get my Masters.

Complete the following statements: The song I can't stop listening to right now is...

Laura D'Andrea: Love Song, by Sarah Bareilles. Actually, I’m sick of that song, and I would stop listening to it if people would stop playing it everywhere I go.

TV show I can't stop watching right now is. . .

Laura D'Andrea: 30 Rock and old episodes of Arrested Development

My favorite all-time movie is...

Laura D'Andrea: Sister Act 2

Funniest thing that's ever happened to me is...

Laura D'Andrea: I’m not sure about the funniest thing that’s ever happened to me, but one strange thing that happened was that I recently discovered that I sleep-texted myself the message “Toadies possum universe.” I have no recollection of texting this to myself, I only discovered the message the next day. I’m still not entirely sure what that message means or why I texted it to myself in the middle of the night.

The words I try to live by are...

Laura D'Andrea: “It’s better to regret things that you've done than things you have not.”