From Walk-Ons to Champions: Phillips' & Acosta's Journeys to Triton Softball

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Alanna Phillips and Dominique Acosta, senior right-handed pitchers on the University of California San Diego softball team, saw their careers end in rare fashion this past March when the coronavirus pandemic emerged and canceled all remaining NCAA-sponsored events and championships.  

With that said, from the beginning, their careers strayed from what one might consider typical courses. On separate occasions, both were academically admitted to UC San Diego and later earned spots onto the softball team by way of walking-on. 

After falling in love with the sport at a young age, Phillips and Acosta had hopes of attaining more than a degree from the world-class university.

Little did they know, the two would be crowned 2019 CCAA regular season champions, 2019 West Region champions and help UC San Diego return to the National Championship for the first time in seven years.

Alanna Phillips (Utica, N.Y./Thomas R. Proctor HS)
As a senior in high school, Phillips submitted applications to a variety of universities across the country, from New York to Illinois, as well as California. 

Once accepted to UC San Diego, yet prior to moving cross-country, Phillips attended a Triton softball clinic. Alongside Phillips were several other players longing for attention. Following the camp, Phillips emailed the coaches with interest in the program, but time continued to pass with no response.

It wasn’t until late September, one week before classes began her freshman year, and after many, many emails, when Head Coach Patti Gerckens replied with news she could try out for the team. 

Throughout the first two months of fall ball, Phillips was constantly put in situations to prove her skillset. She vividly remembers facing moments of struggle along the way.  

“That first week was a cultural shock,” said Phillips. “Everything was so structured and nothing I was used to. There was a strict plan at every practice; it was a humbling experience.”

In November, after two months of hard work, Gerckens officially granted Phillips a spot on the team. Not a day went by the Phillips wasn’t appreciative of that initial part of her journey, as well as every single obstacle in between. 

“Every year after that, I was so grateful to know a little bit more about the program, how everything worked – the whole process,” Phillips added. 

“I will never forget that feeling of joining the team where I didn’t know anyone or anything,” Phillips continued. “I believe it made me more sympathetic and allowed me to latch on to the incoming freshmen in the coming years.”

Phillips began playing softball at six years old. Through high school, she encountered multiple people who doubted her abilities, assuring her that she would never make it to the next level. Once receiving affirmation from Gerckens that day in November, the hurler never questioned her talents again. 

“Actually making it happen was more satisfying for myself than anything,” Phillips mentioned. 

“[The doubters] are not the ones that needed to believe in me. I needed to believe in myself in order to succeed. If you are relying on someone else to tell you that you are good, you will be waiting a long time. You have to be that person for yourself.”

In 2017, Phillips’ freshman campaign, she made just four appearances on the mound and pitched a total of seven innings. The following year, her appearances increased to 27, including 20 starts and 101.1 innings. By her junior year, she had established a spot in the regular rotation and saw action at the National Championship. In 2019, amid a shortened season, she reached career strikeout 100. 

Looking back on her time as a Triton, Phillips is beyond thankful for what the program provided her. 

“I feel like I owe every ounce of maturity to UC San Diego softball. It has been such a mother in a metaphorical figure. It knocks you down but teaches you how to get back up,” Phillips lauded.

“It teaches you structure and punishes you when that structure is lost. It has prepared me for life more than anything I have ever experienced.”

Heartbroken and devastated over a career cut short, Phillips believes this year’s team was the closest team she had ever been a part of. However, she knows life must go on. 

Following undergrad, Phillips plans on attending graduate school to continue her studies in biochemistry. Her future goals include earning a Ph.D. in biological science. Later, she hopes to become a biochemist at a zoo and further educate the public in wildlife conservation. 

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Dominique Acosta (Rancho Cucamonga/Chaffey College/Rancho Cucamonga HS)
Prior to becoming a Triton, Acosta spent a year at Chaffey College–a community college in her hometown of Rancho Cucamonga. As a result of diligently sticking to her studies, she successfully transferred to UC San Diego with dreams of playing college ball.  

Although the Tritons’ roster was full when she initially reached out to Gerckens, Acosta was eager to get back on the field and took it upon herself to stay motivated. 

In her first year at UC San Diego, a sophomore athletically, Acosta lived in the Village Apartments – a housing complex parallel to the softball field. She regularly visited RIMAC Field, a large grassy area which lay just beyond the outfield fence of the stadium, to complete individual workouts. 

One day, as she was walking through her pitching wind-up, tossing spins against a concrete wall, one of the softball team's assistant coaches approached Acosta expressing interest in her abilities. 

She was invited to try out and “from that point on, everything fell into place,” as Acosta described it. 

In many ways, Acosta’s journey of joining the team has impacted her on a personal level, similarly to Phillips. 

“I feel like being here is a miracle,” Acosta said. “Being on the team allowed me to grow and just gave me a chance to play again.”

Before the 2020 season ended, the Tritons had the opportunity to play Team USA as part of the “Stand Beside Her” tour. On top of competing on the biggest stage possible in 2019, playing the Olympic team became one of Acosta’s most memorable moments of her career, and ultimately the last time she stepped foot on the rubber. 

“I think that was the cherry on top of my whole experience at UC San Diego,” Acosta explained. “I just had the mindset to have fun, go hard and leave no regrets on the field.”

Among the many lessons learned while being a member of the program, Acosta believes her mental game improved more than anything. Thanks to the Tritons’ weekly mental training sessions, Acosta found a way to navigate through the negative self-talk scholar-athletes inevitably experience.

“The program pushed me to work hard, mentally and physically. It taught me how to work through difficult times and other points of struggle,” Acosta expressed. “You really don’t understand what hard work is until you carry it out and go through it.”

Like Phillips, Acosta started playing the sport at six years old, often following in the steps of her two older sisters. Pitching was something Acosta especially cherished and continued to critique in order to meet her longterm goals. 

Over the course of her three years, primarily used as a reliever, Acosta compiled a record of 6-1. In 30 appearances, she tossed 39 innings and struck out 10 batters. 

“It’s like a Cinderella story. I did it,” Acosta said.

Post-UC San Diego, Acosta hopes to remain in San Diego and partake in various volunteer opportunities and internships regarding marine oceanography. A biological anthropology major, Acosta is willing to try new things in order to find another passion like softball.  

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I.  The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in DivisionsIII and II and helped guide more than 1,300 scholar-athletes to All-America honors.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.