H.S. softball: Eastern's Rosano travels different path to chase dream

VOORHEES - Alexis Rosano doesn’t back down from a challenge.

It’s just not in her DNA.

That type of drive helped her become a state champion on the wrestling mat and continues to pave the way for her as complete all-around player on the softball diamond.

This spring, which will be her final one playing in South Jersey, the junior slugger is batting .368 with seven walks and four extra-base hits, including a pair of homers. She plans on moving to Florida in the summer and reclassifying as a junior in the Sunshine State.

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While she has had to adjust to a lot of change already, Rosano hasn’t lost sight of fulfilling her commitment to play collegiate softball, specifically at Florida State University.

“My dream is my dream,” Rosano said. “I’ve made what I believe are the best decisions for me and what I want to accomplish for my future.”

Over the winter, Rosano turned in her wrestling shoes to concentrate on sharpening her softball skills.

The sport she took up to help build strength and stay in shape for softball took her to new heights, as she captured a state title for Overbrook in 2020 and finished fourth in the state as a sophomore after transferring to Eastern.

“It was a difficult choice (not to wrestle),” Rosano said. “When I started going to districts and regions (tournaments), it made me a little sad.

“It’s a hard sport, that’s what I miss about it. You know you’re going to have to work hard every day when you go to practice. I miss the grind of those workouts.”

Eastern head coach Rich Gilmore says while he never saw the third baseman compete on the mat, he sees the same traits she brings to the diamond.

“The grit, the toughness, the hard work – the things that you need in wrestling are the same things you want to see out here (on the diamond),” Gilmore said. “And she does. She’s a competitor and when the lights are on, she’s ready to go.”

With the way she has been swinging the bat this spring, the ball must look like a beachball to Rosano these days. And for good reason, the slugger played baseball growing up and joined the Overbrook baseball team before the 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID pandemic. That summer, she played in the Last Dance baseball tournament.

In the season opener, Rosano delivered a winning home run in the eighth inning as the Vikings posted a 6-5 victory at Washington Township. The next day, she launched another homer against Cherry Hill East. In that same game, the Cougars elected to intentionally walk her while first base was occupied and brought the winning run to the plate.

“People know what she can do and know that one swing can change a game, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did,” Gilmore said when asked if he thought a team would ever intentionally walk Rosano with the bases loaded.

Rosano believes her production at the plate is just starting to blossom.

“I’ve been working with my dad (Matt) to fix a few things with my swing,” Rosano said. “Once I figure it out, my hitting will be a lot better.”

As comfortable as she looks in the batter’s box, Rosano also looks comfy at her new home working the hot corner. After playing catcher and first base, Rosano filled the key position at third as Jenna Haas, a transfer from Oakcrest, took over at catcher.

It’s been a seamless transition for Rosano, according to her coach.

“It’s such a huge spot, I believe that third base is even more important, in my opinion, than shortstop because you have to take away that short game,” Gilmore said. “She has those instincts that you just can’t teach.”

Rosano’s future plans are going to take a different direction soon. She plans on moving to Florida with her father in July, reclassifying as a junior.

“Losing an entire season to COVID was really tough and I figured moving down there and reclassifying would give me a chance to get that COVID year back,” she said.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: H.S. softball: Eastern's Rosano travels different path to chase dream