When Idaho State softball coach Julie Wright was looking to add a catcher to her roster she was approached separately by outfielder Courtney Dial and pitcher Kelsie Ott about a catcher out of Huntington Beach, Calif., that Wright needed to check out.
When Wright took her players’ advice she found out that they were both talking about the same player: Vicky Galasso.
Dial was Galasso’s high school teammate and Ott played with Galasso on her club team. Both were impressed enough by her skills that they urged Wright to give her a chance.
“Vicki anchors the pitching staff,” said Wright. “She throws runners out, she controls the defense. When she’s in the game she’s very vocal and that means a lot to the pitching staff [especially those that are] young or returning from injury,” said Wright.
Galasso ranks first in seven different conference statistical categories. She is first in average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, hits, home runs and total bases. She has the twelfth best batting average in the country and is 43rd in doubles and 24th in slugging percentage.
“Offensively, she has really developed,” said Wright. “I’m really proud of the choices she making and how she’s really improved on certain holes she’s had in her swing last year. She doesn’t have any of those this year.”
Galasso has put in the time and it is obviously paying off.
“I trained super hard all summer and fall. I really focused on my hitting and coming out strong,” said Galasso.
She has nine home runs on the season, just three shy of the tying the record (12) held by Heather Dixon.
Galasso credits a lot of success this year to readjusting her swing. She worked on it all last year with Wright and struggled adjusting but after training all summer it’s fair to say she figured it out.
“I got used to the new swing,” said Galasso. “Last year coach was tweaking with it and I struggled with it but this year I’m set in my swing and I can just fine-tune everything now.”
These players have a ton of potential and they demonstrated it with their conference sweep of the Weber State Wildcats over the weekend. ISU is now 16-18 and 4-2 in Big Sky Conference Play.
“Last year we just talked about playing for a championship,” said Galasso. But this year we’ve had a lot more commitment on reaching the goal. It’s not just talk.”
Galasso is reaching for the stars as far as the goals she wants to set. Individually she wants to become the first All-American since the program was reinstated in 2007.
“I know I can do it,” said Galasso. “I have the ability and that’s one of my personal goals. I also want to break the home run record. I need four more to get it. I want to be the RBI leader on the team.”
Galasso is majoring in exercise science and is keeping her options open about what she wants to do but she knows she wants to continue to be involved with sports.
“I’m still deciding if I want to go to PT [physical training] school, which if I did I would go back to California, or be a strength and conditioning coach,” said Galasso. “I want to work with athletes.”
Galasso was essential in the Bengals earning their first conference sweep against the Weber State Wildcats. In Saturday’s game on April 6, she led the Bengals by going 3-3, all three hits being doubles and had three RBI and scored one run.
The Bengals return to the field on Wednesday, April 10, for a 4 p.m. contest at Utah Valley University. They return to Miller Ranch Stadium on Saturday, April 20, against the Portland State Vikings at 4 p.m.
