ANDRASIK JUMPS SPORTS AND JUMP STARTS CAREER...
CLEVELAND, OH (March 27, 2008) - March Madness takes on a new meaning for Case Western Reserve University freshman Beth Andrasik.
On Saturday, March 1, Andrasik completed a six month basketball season for the Spartans in Cleveland, averaging 5.1 points and starting 20-of-25 contests at guard. On Tuesday, March 11, exactly ten days later, she was the starting shortstop for the Case Western Reserve softball team at the 2008 University Athletic Association Championships in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
I had one day off, Andrasik said. I went home that night after basketball and took Sunday off. Monday I began practicing softball and was extremely sore the next day because I hadn't swung a bat in so long.
Andrasik claims it took awhile to get back into the swing of things, but her statistics tell a different tail. She hit .350 and committed only one error in eight UAA games, and was named to the All-UAA first team. Not too shabby for any rookie, especially one who began training late and in a conference that had three teams [of five] ranked in the top 25 in the nation at the time.
I felt my first few at bats were really ugly and that my fielding the first day was off, she said. I kind of felt like I just had to knock the rust off and I would be alright, but I never imagined I would be named first team.
Andrasik currently leads the team in hitting with a .379 average. She has 11 hits in 29 at bats over 11 games, including five RBIs. Andrasik also has a team-high seven [out of eight] stolen bases.
The Sagamore Hills native knew she would play both basketball and softball in college, as she was a four-year letterman and multiple all-conference [Western Reserve] selection in both sports at Nordonia High School. She also knew she would attend Case Western Reserve because she wanted to be an engineer and that they had a really good engineering program .
I liked the feel of the campus when I visited, Andrasik said. The people were so friendly that it made me feel at home.
Andrasik is currently in the books as an engineering physics major, but will most likely change to mechanical engineering by next semester. Another thing she will also do before the fall is an internship in her soon to be new concentration. Andrasik will work for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) May through August as a civil engineering assistant.
And she won't be filling in pot holes, rather researching soil and concrete samples taken around bridges in Cuyahoga County.
I'm excited to begin and to learn more about the field, Andrasik said.
The Spartans have not played a game since returning from Florida March 16 because of inclement weather. They are schedule to play a doubleheader at Wittenberg University this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
(Waiting to play) has been a little frustrating, Andrasik explained. In Florida, it was 87 degrees and sunny, and when we returned home there was still snow on the ground and we had to wear our winter jackets again.
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