Playing D-I softball at Robert Morris 'a dream come true' for Burrell grad Alaina York

Robert Morris’ Alaina York has some serious range in center field.

How serious?

“It’s kind of a running joke that any time a ball gets hit in the air, it automatically seems like Alaina is calling for it,” Colonials coach Jexx Varner said of York, a Burrell graduate. “It could be in left field or right field, and she’s going to call for it. And she’ll bust her butt to go get it.”

York, a graduate student, said that mentality is the result of practicing with her older sister as a kid.

“I would try to outrun everyone there,” York said. “I’m a pretty competitive person, so when the ball goes up in the air, I want to get it and I want it to be mine. So I make the decision to go get it, and, hopefully, I do.”

Although defense has been York’s calling card during her three seasons at Robert Morris, she also has been a steady presence at the plate.

She hit .241 in 52 games this season with a homer, 13 RBIs and six stolen bases. She had an RBI single in Robert Morris’ 7-1 victory over Green Bay on Thursday in a Horizon League Tournament elimination game. The Colonials (31-21) were edged by Oakland, 5-4, in the championship game Saturday.

“She’s been someone who’s given us some good at-bats whether it’s in the nine hole or in the two spot to move runners or do the things we need to win games,” Varner said.

This season also included York’s first homer with the Colonials, which came April 10 at Northern Kentucky.

“I usually hit the top of the fence, and it comes back in,” York said. “So when that ball went up, I was like, ‘Oh it’s going to hit the fence. It’s going to come back in, so I better run really fast so I can at least get a double or triple out of it.’ And then it went over, and I was already passing second base. I ended up basically sprinting around the bases, so I got made fun of for that.”

York spent her freshman and sophomore seasons at Division II Wheeling Jesuit, where she was an all-conference selection both years. When coach Sara Pelegreen left Wheeling Jesuit to take an assistant coaching job with Robert Morris, she asked York to join her. York aspired to play D-I since she was 7 years old, so it was an easy decision.

“I always wanted to go to Florida or Florida State,” York said. “But life kind of happens, and you realize that sometimes that’s not going to happen, and that’s OK.

“It’s been a dream come true. … I was able to prove to myself that I could do it, and doing something like that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything if you really put your mind to it. It gives me a lot of hope for the future and what I want to do.”

It didn’t take long for York to make an impression on Varner and the team upon transferring in 2019-20.

“We talk about how experience doesn’t always equate to positive leadership,” Varner said. “Whether she had been in the program for a month or she had been in the program for the previous two years, she had the work ethic, attitude and commitment to be able to lead immediately. That’s what makes her special.”

Her positivity also is hard to miss. York often dances during her walk-up music and even between pitches, Varner said. York, who is 5-foot-3, said her favorite walk-up song is “Brick House.”

“(Dancing) keeps everything light and fast and relaxing, and I think that’s when I play my best,” York said.

York’s next stop with be as a nurse in the Cardiac ICU at UPMC Children’s Hospital. Coaching might be an option down the line.

“The sport is my escape and has given me so much already,” York said, “so if there’s anything I can do to give back, I would really enjoy that.”