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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Jeremy Rushing, Student Sports Information Assistant)

May 13, 2013 - Vlasta Mangia hit the ground running when she first stepped onto Shanower Family Field as a freshman.  She has played in every Cardinal softball game in her three seasons at North Central.  She's earned three All-CCIW selections, two NFCA All-Great Lakes Region selections, and one NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete selection.
               
Vlasta was thrown right into the mix in her first season in a Cardinal uniform.  She responded by starting in all 40 games for the Cardinals, hitting .333, belting five home runs, and driving in 23 RBI.  In the circle, Vlasta made 20 starts and threw 17 complete games.  She tallied three shutouts and 53 strikeouts and threw a no-hitter against St. Mary's College.  As a sophomore, Vlasta started in all 39 games for the Cardinals.  She led the team with a .333 batting average and 52 hits.  In the circle, she earned a 2.17 earned run average. 

This season, she won 25 games, the second-highest single-season total in school history, and hit .357 with 35 RBI as the Cardinals went 35-12 and advanced to the finals of the NCAA Division III Whitewater Regional. She has already established a new North Central career record with 53 wins.

When did you first start playing softball?
I first started in tee ball when I was four years old.  I played little league for a long time and in travel leagues over the summer.  In high school, I played four years on varsity, and then came here.

How did you get into the game?
Through my family.  My dad grew up playing sports and he taught all of my sisters and I how to pitch.  So all of us grew up playing softball and other sports as well.

Have you played any other sports competitively?
In high school I played volleyball and competed in track and field. 

This year, your team set a school record by starting the season 19-0. What was the biggest reason for that run?
The camaraderie on the team.  Everyone seems to get along really well, there's really no drama on the team and I feel that's a big factor that comes into play.  Also the experience us juniors have on the team and the one year experience the sophomores have.  The freshmen came in and filled their role really well as well.

This year's team has no seniors.  What's that like and who has taken a leadership role on this team?
I feel like everyone has taken some sort of leadership role on this team.  The juniors on the team also played with Coach Lauren Schramm and Coach Erin (Drennan) Buchholz our freshman year so we kind of feel like they provide a “senior leadership” as well. 

You're not only a contributor in the circle but also at the plate for this team. Is it ever tough to shift your focus between the two during a game?
I would say that's probably one of the things I need to work on the most.  I've been trying to work on keeping myself relaxed and composed at the plate.  As a pitcher, you know the strike zone better than anyone so I try to turn that into an advantage for myself at the plate. 

What's your favorite class you've taken so far at North Central?
Team and Individual Sports.  I got to teach a lesson of softball which was nice.  It was fun to teach other athletes how to pitch a softball (laughs).

Who are your biggest role models?
For softball, my sister Terra.  She didn't start pitching until she was 14 but I started when I was eight.  Just seeing how hard she worked and how far she got with pitching in such a short amount of time