Slaterette’s Carino off to LA for Trailblazer Series

13-year-old from Pawtucket to play at Dodger Stadium

PAWTUCKET – Giulia Carino may be only 13, but she knows what she likes – baseball.

Unlike most girls her age, those who opt to play fast-pitch softball for assorted club or recreational league teams, Carino chose to represent the Pawtucket Slaterettes, the all-female hardball program that heralds itself the only one across the United States, at an early age.

That devotion to the Slaterettes has paid off beautifully for Carino, who recently discovered she and fellow Slaterette Quinn Faria, 10, of Bristol, have been chosen to attend the inaugural Trailblazer Series in Los Angeles the weekend of April 14-16.

The competitive training camp/tournament, sponsored by both USA Baseball and Major League Baseball, is built around the annual Jackie Robinson Day (Saturday, April 15), and approximately 100 girls from throughout the nation will get the opportunity to be coached by USA National Women’s Team alumni.

Activities for athletes at this groundbreaking include instruction, the chance to improve certain skills, competing with some of the country’s best youth hardball-playing females, community outreach and even a visit with the Los Angeles Dodgers at their home park in Chavez Ravine.

This won’t be Carino’s first foray into such glamor, as she trekked to San Diego for the MLB All-Star Youth Classic last July with several teammates of assorted ages.

“It was very exciting,” stated Carino, an eighth-grader at Bay View Academy in East Providence. “I never got to travel that far before with a team. I went with 10-, 11- and 12year-old girls, and we learned a lot. I remember seeing the Celebrity Softball Game, as well as the MLB Home Ruun Derby and the FanFest celebration.

“It was awesome!” she added. “I saw (comedian) Terry Crews go up to the plate, and he wasn’t that great a player. He looked really strong and athletic, and was really funny, telling jokes and stuff, but he could barely hit the ball out of the infield. I also saw Giancarlo Stanton win the derby at Petco Stadium.

“The best part was I was one of the kids in the outfield catching balls the major leaguers didn’t hit over the wall – the singles and doubles. It was amazing how hard they hit it, but I actually caught two balls off the bat of (Padres’ first baseman) Wil Myers. It was incredible!”

How Carino received an invitation to the event last July was time-consuming, as she was asked to write an essay about why she loved baseball, and how it helped her.

“I wrote about barriers I had faced in my life – being overweight and how other kids treat you, but also how I pushed myself in baseball and other sports to lose some weight and try to be the best I possibly could,” she explained. “I guess they liked what I had to say.”

Qualifying for this month’s extravaganza in southern California wasn’t as difficult, as “all I had to do was fill out a form, but I had some of my coaches recommend me, too. One was Deb Bettencourt, the Slaterettes’ Player Agent.

“I found out about a month ago that I’d been invited; we got an email from the organization, and – when I got home from school one day – my mom (Camille) told me,” she continued. “I was so excited! I knew I had to start training soon. I had just been playing for a club team in the ‘Lead The Way’ Field Hockey League (based at Wheeler School Farm in Seekonk), and some volleyball (over the winter months).

“I’m thrilled to be going back, even though I’ll be by myself. Quinn’s going with her parents, so that will help.”

Last July, she indicated she partook in several practices by both male and female players who currently or in the past represented USA Baseball, and also played for a team with other girls her age.

“They helped us with our skills, and it was really amazing,” she said. “I got to see how my skills could develop, and maybe I could even have a career in baseball.”

She’ll fly out of Boston’s Logan Airport on Thursday, then will return Easter Sunday.

“It’s a quick trip, but I don’t mind,” she laughed. “(Officials) said in the email that we should be prepared to be coaches by some top-level USA Baseball alums, both men and women, and that we’d be playing in some games. I know I’ll be playing for a team in the Under-16 division with girls from all over the country.

“They also said we’d be able to watch the L.A. Dodgers face the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day,” she added. “I’m super-psyched. It’s going to be a great experience, just like it was last year. I’m going to be trained by all of those excellent players, and they’re going to help me get better.”

Another memorable happening in San Diego came in one of her games, when the pitcher/catcher/infielder took to the hill and faced a boy.

“I actually struck him out, which was amazing to me,” she exclaimed. “He just started crying, and I felt bad, but not that bad. I was still really happy.

“It’s only girls at this tournament, so it won’t happen again. I’m going to be playing with and against girls who are older than me, so my goal is to just hold my own, show everyone that I’m as good as they are.

“What enticed me to apply? I thought it was a great opportunity to take part in something that would open doors for more girls and women in baseball.” Her mom concurred. “I see this event as a major advance towards the acceptance of girls in high school baseball,” Camille stated. “There are 16U and 12U divisions at this event, (and) presumably many of the players in the older division play on their high school teams, or hope to do so.

“I think this event/tournament is a wonderful way to showcase girls’ baseball talent and to empower girls to break down those barriers,” she continued. “We’re thrilled for Giulia and Quinn to have this opportunity.”

Offered Slaterettes’ President Sarah Feeley: “Honestly, I’m NOT getting used to all of these invitations to national events. It’s still surreal, amazing. I played for the Slaterettes as a teen-ager, and they’re all like my little family, or should I say big?

“To think that we’re being recognized across the country for what we do, it absolutely blows my mind.”