Normally, a trip to the Womenβs College World Series would be the highlight of any softball playerβs year.
But it hasnβt been just any year for Dejah Mulipola.
Mulipola made the Team USA roster in January and will join her new teammates after her stay in Oklahoma City with the Wildcats. In 59 games this season, all starts for Mulipola, the junior catcher is hitting .316 with 22 home runs and 53 RBIs. Earlier in May, Mulipola was named first-team All-Pac-12.
The Star caught up with Mulipola as the Wildcats prepared for the World Series, where theyβll take on Washington on Thursday morning. Hereβs what the 21-year-old said:
Itβs been a quite a year for you, starting in January with making Team USA and now being able to βbreak the curse,β as you say, and make it to the Womenβs College World Series. How would you describe the year that youβve had?
A: βI think itβs definitely been a roller coaster. I kind of came into the year trying to say I wanted to be more of a leader, more vocal as coach always wanted me to be the past two years. I kind of tried to step out of my comfort zone and itβs paid off. Itβs definitely been a roller coaster, my junior year.β
But this year isnβt even halfway over. What else is in store for you?
A: βHonestly, just seeing where my teammates can help me go, reach my potential. Iβm excited to see what the rest of this year has, for the summer and for the World Series.β
Last August, the womenβs national team won a second consecutive world championship and it earned them a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. How much would it mean to you to be part of that team?
A: βIt just gave me butterflies. It would mean everything. I think thatβs every little softball girlβs dream is first, just to make it to college, which Iβve done, and now to make it to the Olympics. I mean, just being on the Peru team, the PanAm team right now is just a blessing, so to make (the Olympic) team would be amazing.β
What does being part of Team USA entail and how does it help you out here in Arizona?
A: βIt just entails being more mature and itβs definitely the peak of the mountain in softball, especially because my coach (Mike Candrea) was the USA coach a couple years ago. So to be able to represent them and knowing he was a coach as well is just an honor.
βI definitely think it helps me be more mature and be more competitive because those women have a different way of thinking about softball because they have more experience than me. So I just try to take what they have to offer me and just take it and bring it here and share it with my teammates so they can get a little bit of it as well.β
Is there any pressure being the youngest player on the national team?
A: βI think itβs cool because you can learn from people like Kelly Kretschman, Monica Abbott, and itβs just your sponge; you just soak it in. Itβs definitely eye-opening β Iβm kind of a deer in headlights sometimes. I donβt know what Iβm doing, but they do. But itβs amazing to know that Iβm on the team with them.β
Even though youβre the youngest player, thereβs another Class of 2020 player?
A: βRachel Garciaβ of UCLA.
So how do you feel now playing alongside her?
A: βI think itβs funny because when Iβm playing her in the Pac-12 Iβm like, βOh, I want to beat you so bad.β And then being on her team, itβs like, βI love that youβre on my team because I know how bad-freaking-a-s-s you are.ββ
Now, youβre going to have to put Team USA on the back burner and focus on the World Series. What are you looking forward to there?
A: βIβm looking forward to see what this team has to bring. We made it there, so I think we are a whole new team right now. And the teams that we faced β since we faced (every team in the WCWS) already β theyβre not going to know whatβs coming because we are very different coming into the World Series.β
Win or lose, whatβs something that you want to take away from this experience and use for next year?
A: βI just want to know where we can continue to learn for next year because we know what it takes to get there now. So just seeing how the World Series is different compared to conference and preseason and just stuff like that. Just taking everything and constantly learning and bringing it to the next year.β