By Annabelle Del Bosque — Staff Writer
I am Groot.
Those are the only three words that Baby Groot says in “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” and the nickname given to San Jose State’s Jenessa Ullegue.
The Ventura, Calif. native was gifted a stuffed Groot toy from her friend back home and has brought it to every away game since coming to San Jose.
“Once I saw Baby Groot, I just fell in love with it,” Ullegue said. “I see pictures of it on Twitter. It is just so cute and tiny.”
Similar to the little tree, the freshman keeps her words to a minimum. All the talking is on the diamond, particularly in the circle and when the bat is in her hand.
Head coach Peter Turner was fond of Ullegue compared to other recruits. In Turner’s words, she wasn’t just a good pitcher, she was a well-rounded softball player.
“I think she is an overall great athlete. Not only can she pitch, she can hit and play other positions,” he said. “For a freshman, she is doing really well.”
Ullegue is able to harness the roles of a player and teammate both on and off the diamond.
By crushing crucial hits and escaping jams with runners in scoring position, she has been able to deposit her skills the most.
When she gets in these situations, Ullegue will look down at her wrist and sees “DB” written.
“It means deep breath,” she said.
She writes this on her wrist and serves as a reminder for herself to shake out all the nerves and calm down.
It helps her focus on what is happening now, rather than what had already occurred.
“It really helps me calm down when there are runners in scoring position or even when I am batting,” Ullegue said.
Sophomore pitcher Caroline Bowman, the Spartans’ ace, thinks Ullegue brings a different look to the team. The spin she has on the ball is unlike anything she had the season before.
Ullegue pitches rise balls and curve balls while the others are known for attacking the lower half of the zone.
Bowman’s favorite memory of Ullegue was the first time they
met. The softball program has a day where the returners meet the freshmen, and Bowman was paired with Baby Groot.
Bowman asked the freshman to say a fun fact about herself, and she wasn’t expecting Ullegue’s response.
“My favorite character is Baby Groot,” Ullegue said.
Bowman thought it was the most interesting and quirky little fact. Since, Bowman and the rest of the team has held that over the head of Ullegue.
Although Baby Groot made an impact on Ullegue since the movie’s release, her father had made the most influence on her softball career.
“My dad has been involved in softball forever,” she said. “He has helped me in every aspect of the game, even mentally.”
Ullegue’s favorite memory withhim was during a practice when she was 9. She was trying to explain something to her teammate and her dad overheard.
“He threw a softball at me really hard and made me run the rest of the practice,” Ullegue said.
She doesn’t know why that stands out, but it reminds her how far she’s come.
With a nice spin on the ball and Baby Groot by her side, Ullegue leads by example as a fielder and a teammate. Her confidence and presence on the field makes her a huge asset to the team.
Follow Annabelle on Twitter @BosqueAnnabelle