Clinton Hill Dreamin’

t was June 2016, and then-16-year-old Alexis Buchanan of Murrieta, California, was on her way to a college showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her travel softball team, the SoCal Breakers.

Looking to be recruited to play college ball for St. Joseph’s University’s Brooklyn Campus, the rising high school senior reached out to then-head coach Danielle Fazzolare, inviting her to the tournament.

Fazzolare dispatched assistant coach Rich Mauro to scout Buchanan. Impressed with what he saw, he spoke between games not only with Buchanan, but also with Ashleigh Hartwig and a couple of their Breakers teammates, in an attempt to sell them on St. Joseph’s.

“For the rest of the tournament, he followed us from game to game,” said Buchanan. After the showcase, Mauro successfully recruited Buchanan, Hartwig and Vivian Tomovich from the Breakers.

All three graduated in May after playing an integral part in the program’s recent rise in prominence among NCAA DIII programs.

Mauro later visited Southern California to recruit Emily Burroughs and Tayler Faraguna, who are expected to graduate in May 2023, and rising juniors Sofia Logreco and Autumn Poppett — all younger members of the SoCal Breakers.

This spring, half of the Brooklyn Campus’ softball team will be recruits from Southern California. The other Californians are Sierra Bedrin, a senior; Bella Gomez, a junior; sophomores Lauren Van Der Kamp and Bella Hurtado; and freshmen Audrey Scott and Brooke Horn.

Nationwide Recruitment Efforts

Mauro was inspired to recruit nationally when the Bears joined the Skyline Conference from the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the 2015-16 academic year. After a challenging maiden season in the conference, Mauro approached the campus’ athletic director about broadening recruitment efforts.

After securing a stamp of approval from the campus’ admissions office, Mauro set off for the West Coast in
search of new talent.

“There is a much higher percentage of talented players out west yearning for an opportunity to play competitive college softball,” said Mauro, who trained as a pitching coach in Long Beach, California.

“Our University has received invaluable national recognition as a player in the recruiting field and is becoming more known every year we travel,” he added.

Current head coach James Greene added, “Word of mouth helps us recruit from the West Coast. These young women go back home and talk about their experiences at our University, the quality of softball they get to play and the quality of education.”

The new recruitment strategy has paid dividends on the field. In 2021-22, the team enjoyed one of its best seasons, posting a record of 24-14 and placing third in the conference championship tournament.

Hartwig, former president of the campus’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), led the nation in on-base percentage, while Buchanan, former vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA), became the 18th player in program history to join the 100-hit club.

California Players Adjust to Playing in New York Together

In Brooklyn, the California recruits are a long way from home, but the experience has taught the women important life lessons of working together and being adaptive.

“It was really hard to be far away from family and friends,” Buchanan said of her first year. “But to have Ashleigh and Viv to fall back on when there were times when all I wanted was my parents — it was really helpful.

“Now, with the younger Californians arriving, it’s our turn to be their ‘moms’ when they’re missing home and struggling emotionally,” she added.