Freshman Ali Wester has been one of the top offensive players in the ACC during her first season at Notre Dame in 2016

Getting To Know Softball's Ali Wester

April 7, 2016


As told to Tristan Vitale `19

Ali Wester is a freshman outfielder/infielder on the Notre Dame softball team from Huntington Beach, California. A former Sunset League co-most valuable player at Edison High School, Wester is hitting .434 through Notre Dame’s first 33 games, ranking among the top 60 batting averages in the NCAA. Ali’s average is third on the Notre Dame team this season, trailing only classmate Melissa Rochford (.435) and her sister, junior co-captain Karley Wester (.437).

Catching up with Ali after practice, we asked a few questions to get to know her better.

Q: If you could play a sport other than softball, what would it be?
A: Ice hockey. I used to play ice hockey, and it’s a lot of fun.

Q: If you could trade places with any person for a day, who would it be?
A: Probably my sister, Karley, because she knows everyone and everyone loves her. She’s pretty awesome.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
A: I love Glee.

Q: Do you have any special talents or hobbies?
A: I’m pretty good at karaoke. My favorite things to sing are Avril Lavigne songs.

Q: What is one thing you can’t live without?
A: My family. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

Q: What is your favorite thing to get at the dining hall?
A: Fettuccini Alfredo baked pasta from North Dining Hall.

Q: Who is your favorite professional athlete?
A: I don’t really follow sports, but I root for the Green Bay Packers, so I guess Aaron Rodgers.

Q: What is your favorite memory from this season so far?
A: Beating UCLA in Palm Springs. It was pretty awesome.

–Episode 4 of the Deanna Gumpf Radio Show featuring Karley and Ali Wester

Q: Your sister, Karley, is also on the softball team. Are you competitive with each other?
A: Not really. We kind of just joke around and have fun. We have little mini-competitions sometimes.

Q: You and your sister are both batting well this season. Do you think it’s genetic?
A: My dad would say so, but I don’t really know if that’s true. He played football and baseball, but my mom thinks that we got our athleticism from her…and that’s not true.

Q: Do you occasionally miss your hometown weather in Huntington Beach?
A: Yes. It’s colder here but I do like the snow. I purposely chose a school with snow. Most of my family is from the Midwest, so I like to say I’m partly from Wisconsin. Also, it never rains in Southern California, so I like some overcast, definitely.

Q: Why did you choose Notre Dame?
A: I wanted to go somewhere with different weather seasons, and this happened to be in the middle of where most of my family is, and my sister being here too. Also it’s a great school, so I definitely came here for education purposes.


For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.

–ND–