Jessie DiPasquale eased into UMass via a player-mentor. She’s returning the favor at SU.
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On Feb. 17, Jessie DiPasquale entered the circle with Syracuse up 11-4 over Maryland in the top of the seventh inning. DiPasquale, a University of Massachusetts transfer, was tasked to close out the contest in her SU debut.
But the moment was nothing new for DiPasquale. After surrendering consecutive singles, she regrouped and forced Terrapins batter Delaney Reefe to pop out to end the game.
“I’ve learned in my four years that I do well in pressure moments,” DiPasquale said. “Although we had a high lead, there’s always a chance that something could happen.”
At UMass, DiPasquale developed the physical and mental aspects of her game alongside Minutewomen teammate Caroline Videtto. Videtto, an outfielder during DiPasquale’s first two seasons at UMass, taught her the importance of being reliable and confident on the mound. As DiPasquale now embarks on the final stage of her collegiate career, the fifth-year pitcher looks to bring all those teachings to SU.
When DiPasquale arrived as a freshman at UMass, Videtto was a junior who had started 21 games. Eventually, DiPasquale and Videtto crossed paths and began to bounce ideas off of one another. Videtto emphasized that the freshman needed to cut herself some slack and learn through growing pains.
“The biggest thing I told her was because she’s so hard on herself, she needed to learn to give herself grace sometimes,” Videtto said. “It’s not always gonna go perfect, but she needs to stay in the mindset of having confidence.”
Despite having less collegiate experience, DiPasquale returned the favor and gave her own tips to Videtto. DiPasquale has an easy-going mentality, and often reminded Videtto to play freely.
“She taught me to have fun and not take it (pitching) so seriously all the time. Enjoy the people that you are around because, at the end of the day, that is what you’ll remember most,” Videtto said. “We really focused on enjoying the small moments and hanging onto those.”
Videtto graduated from UMass in 2021 and DiPasquale had to adjust without her closest teammate. In her junior and senior seasons, Dipasquale took the lessons from Videtto and continued to build upon her craft. After four seasons, she totaled 709 innings and 572 strikeouts. Her reliability in the circle allowed her to lead the Minutewomen in innings pitched as a sophomore and junior.
Following her senior season, DiPasquale decided it was time for a change of scenery. In February 2024, DiPasquale announced she’d join Syracuse as a graduate transfer.
As a Buffalo, New York, native, DiPasquale learned about SU’s softball program at a young age and always kept it in her mind. She first met with SU head coach Shannon Doepking in early 2023.
“When I decided to enter the transfer portal last February (of 2023), coach (Doepking) and I had some conversations and I felt like I really connected with her,” DiPasquale said. “(Syracuse) was close to home, and one of my dream schools when I was a little girl, so it really just felt like a full circle moment for me.”
Regardless of her new surroundings, DiPasquale wasted no time creating connections with her new peers and coaching staff. She quickly built a bond with sophomore infielder Trinity Nichols. Nichols entered 2024 recovering from an arm injury she sustained near the end of 2023, and DiPasquale has come to her aid in their short time together.
“I’ve been through a lot this year with my arm, and she’s helped me through (it) so much,” Nichols said.
While the two play different positions on the field, Nichols believes there is much she can learn from DiPasquale’s veteran presence. Just as Videtto did for her, DiPasquale now serves as a role model for Nichols.
“She is so persistent and resilient, and she’s faced so much adversity in her career,” Videtto said of DiPasquale. “…If you give her everything, she’s going to give everything back to you.”
