DiDomenico uses junior college for full-ride to Purdue
BOARDMAN -- Perseverance has paid off for Ashley DiDomenico.
The former Boardman High softball pitcher, who was overlooked by major college recruiters after completing her high school career in 2005, recently signed a letter of intent to attend Purdue University this coming school year to play for the Boilermakers in the 2007 season.
DiDomenico achieved her dream of winning a major college scholarship after attending Sante Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla., during the 2005-06 school year, where she further developed her pitching skills.
She recorded a 9-3 record with seven complete games, two shutouts and two saves. She had 40 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings while batting .238 with 20 RBIs and 15 runs scored. She made the All-Mid Florida Conference team as honorable mention.
"I used junior college to get an extra year and more exposure to recruiters," said DiDomenico, who led Sante Fe to the MFC title, a berth in the Florida Community College Activities Association state tournament and a No. 2 national ranking.
"That was the advantage. It exposed you to coaches. There were a lot more college scouts coming to junior college [games and tournaments] than during high school."
Pursued Purdue
DiDomenico, who also made the All-MFC academic team, said she initiated the contact with Purdue and continued to write letters to the school. Eventually, while at Santa Fe, she was invited to a camp at Purdue.
"They told me that were holding [a scholarship]," said DiDomenico. "I was determined. I wanted to go somewhere big. I did a lot of it on my own."
She said the extra year of pitching in junior college also helped her to become better.
"I think my competitive attitude improved. I definitely got stronger. I got collegiate experience and it made me a stronger athlete," said DiDomenico, the daughter of John and Stephanie DiDomenico. She plans to major in criminal justice at Purdue.
She will leave for Purdue sometime in August and enter school as a sophomore with three years of eligibility.
Credits coach Dahringer
DiDomenico credited much of her pitching development to Mike Dahringer of Niles, a personal coach.
"He was my pitching coach since I was nine. He is an amazing coach. Without him, I wouldn't have made it," said DiDomenico, noting that Dahringer "explains what you are doing wrong and how he will help you change it. He always gives you a reason for making changes. His first goal is that he doesn't care where the ball goes, just so that you get speed pumped up and then he focuses on control."
DiDomenico also said that Gina Rango, who was a senior pitcher for Boardman when DiDomenico came in as a freshman, has served as a role model for her "ever since I met her in middle school. She also was taught by Dahringer. That's where I first saw her. I wanted to be just like her. We bonded like sisters. She taught me a lot."
Rango went on to pitch for Bowling Green State, and has graduated.
First player to go Big Ten
Coach Bill Amero of Boardman said DiDomenico is the first player he has coached to get a scholarship to a Big Ten university.
He believes that Dahringer, Rango and Jennifer Pancake, now a pitcher for Westminster College, strongly influenced DiDomenico.
"When she first came into the program, she had Gina Rango and Jennifer Pancake as teammates. She saw what it took and she played in the summer youth softball program," said Amero.
He said DiDomenico, Rango, Pancake and Marissa Bartholomew, who now is at Mercyhurst, "are the four best pitchers I had in the program."
He also singled out Jaclyn Corroto, now a shortstop at Gannon.
Amero said that he has referred most of his pitchers to Dahringer for personal instruction, and called Dahringer an "extension of my coaching staff" and a superb pitching coach.
"I always tell my pitchers that if they are serious about pitching, [Dahringer] is the guy they want to see."
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