University of Minnesota Athletics
Q & A With Sophomore 1B Malisa Barnes
4/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sophomore first baseman Malisa Barnes recently had an 11-game hitting streak, and she leads the Golden Gophers in most offensive categories this season. Barnes enters this weekend's series at Michigan with a .341 (46-for-135) batting average, 24 runs scored, 24 runs batted in, five doubles, and five home runs. In Big Ten play, she's batting .545 (12-for-22) with five runs scored, five RBI, two home runs, a .655 on base percentage, and an .818 slugging percentage. Get to know the native of Phoenix, Ariz., who recently answered our questions for a player feature in the softball game program.
GopherSports.com: When did you get started in softball?
Malisa Barnes: My next door neighbor, Billy, introduced me and my sisters (to the game) when we were about five years old. He was our t-ball coach, and has always been around since I’ve played.
GopherSports.com: Why do you like playing first base?
Malisa Barnes: It’s an action position. The ball is always coming to me, and pretty much everything revolves around me to get the out.
GopherSports.com: How did you adjust to college pitching from high school?
Malisa Barnes: I feel that I’ve always been a pretty good hitter, and I look at it as not getting beaten by anyone. I approach everyone the same, even if one pitches slower or faster. I have the same mindset every time that nobody is going to beat me. That keeps me consistent.
GopherSports.com: What was it like hitting your first home run this season against Arizona in your home state?
Malisa Barnes: I couldn’t even explain the feeling, because that’s my home state and I played with a lot of those players growing up. That was my home turf, and it was kind of like shoving it back in their faces.
GopherSports.com: Do you feel like you're improving upon last year, when you were third team All-Big Ten?
Malisa Barnes: I feel like I’m getting more and more comfortable. Freshman year, I was really nervous about making mistakes. I didn’t make many, but I feel like I’m almost unstoppable this year. I’m very comfortable with my teammates and I feel like I’m accepted by them. I pretty much made a name for myself as a freshman, and coming in as a sophomore, I knew what to expect from the pitchers. I’m already doing better than last year and it’s going to be hard to keep up in Big Ten play like last year, but I think it’s manageable, especially with the way I’ve been hitting lately.
GopherSports.com: How difficult has it been playing on the road for most of the beginning of this season?
Malisa Barnes: It’s tough going from a hot climate to a cold one. You have to adjust from playing in snow to playing in 110 degrees. That’s tough to do. I’ve been to a lot of states I’ve never seen before. It’s interesting playing in cold weather, because your body is so stiff and you have to continuously warm up, where in Arizona you warm up once and you’re good.
GopherSports.com: What was the adjustment like coming to Minnesota from a climate like Arizona’s?
Malisa Barnes: When I signed here, I figured that if I can deal with really hot (weather), then I can deal with really cold. I thought it would be easy to deal with, but I was wrong. You have to cover every inch of skin in the winter. It’s also tough to adjust to playing softball in the cold. If you hit the ball wrong, you feel it in your hands and you have to constantly be moving, because your muscles always tense up. If you’re standing there for seven innings, you realize that there are plays that you maybe can’t make because you cannot seem to move as fast. It’s been an adjustment, but it’s gone pretty well.
GopherSports.com: What do you want to do with your major in Kinesiology?
Malisa Barnes: I want to be a dentist, because I really like teeth. I don’t know why, but since I was little, I’ve really liked teeth. Then I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my major when I came here and it kind of stuck with me. I went with it and now that’s where I’m at with it. I just want to be well-off when I get older.
GopherSports.com: What kind of hobbies do you have outside of softball?
Malisa Barnes: I pretty much stay inside my house. We don’t have a lot of time to ourselves, and when I do, I like to sleep. Sleeping is my hobby.
GopherSports.com: Describe yourself in three words:
Malisa Barnes: Crazy, outgoing, and extroverted.
