Alexandra Bean, a senior centerfielder for the Johnson State College softball team, has been named JSC Student-Athlete of the Week for her play during the first nine games of the 2016 season.

Bean currently leads the Badgers with a .355 batting average, collecting 11 hits in 31 at bats, while also totaling five runs scored and five runs batted in.

Growing up in St. Albans, Vermont, Bean began playing softball when she was in sixth grade. She started out as a shortstop before becoming very passionate about playing the position of catcher. By the time she began competing for Milton Senior High School, knee injuries had caused her to change positions again, ultimately leading to her finding a permanent home in centerfield. “I love to play centerfield, as I am able to see the full field at any given time,” said Bean.

Initially, higher education wasn’t a part of Bean’s life plan, and she is the first member of her family to attend college. “Robert Gervais, the JSC softball coach, believed in me and made me feel that I could do something with my life at JSC, so I took a chance,” she said. “Looking back now, it was the best decision I have ever made. Everything about Johnson has made me grow into who I am today.”

Bean finds being named JSC Student-Athlete of the Week very rewarding, but acknowledges that she could not have done it without the help of her team. “Softball is not an individual sport, and someone can’t be successful without their teammates being behind them every step of the way,” Bean said.

Perhaps her biggest role model, Bean credits her mother immensely for her success both athletically and academically. “Growing up, it was just me and my mom for the first 10 years of my life,” she said. “She instilled values in me that have led me to this point, like working for everything you get and having pride in what you do.”

Bean is a huge fan of the University of Alabama softball team; specifically, their recently graduated pitcher, Jaclyn Traina. “I love everything about their team, from their coach Patrick Murphy to the support their team shows for one another. They are the definition of a family to me,” she said.
Her sports fandom is not limited to softball, however, as she enjoys watching the Detroit Tigers and her favorite player is Miguel Cabrera.

For the rest of the 2016 season, Bean wants to continue her exceptional play and do everything she can to help her team win. But she knows that this is the final season of her softball career and doesn’t want to take it for granted.

“After this, I am done with this amazing chapter in my life and I want to make sure I get everything out of it that I possibly can,” said Bean. “Yes, I want to do well, but more than that, I want to enjoy it all.”

After she graduates in May and her softball days are behind her, Bean will continue working at Laraway Youth and Family Services and plans to eventually move out of state.
After a few years, she hopes to coach high school softball. “My ultimate goal is to become a correctional psychologist,” she added.