Nalia Clifford was aiming to make history.
“When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be the first girl in MLB,” she said. “But as I got older, I kind of got a reality check.”
But not before becoming the first girl to play baseball at Neuqua Valley. Clifford was a three-sport athlete during her freshman year, when she played volleyball and basketball and then pitched and played shortstop for the baseball program’s freshman/sophomore team.
“I was so lucky to be a part of travel organizations like the Naperville Renegades,” Clifford said of her baseball career. “They always gave me the chance, and they didn’t tell me I couldn’t do it.
“I was around a bunch of supportive teammates and their parents. Everyone wanted to see how far I could have taken it.”
Clifford gave up baseball after her freshman year. But her bat and glove didn’t go unused for long.
“My mom was like, ‘Why don’t you give softball a try?’” she said. “Then we went out in the backyard and played catch, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to miss this.’”
Danielle Asquini, who was Neuqua Valley’s softball coach for the past four seasons, saw an opportunity.
“I remember the first time she came to a softball open gym her sophomore year when she was iffy about whether she was going to play or not,” Asquini said. “I said, ‘See if you like it. I’m sure you will.’
“We set up the pitching machine for her, and when she was done, I asked her, ‘How was it?’ And she said, ‘It’s different.’”
But Clifford quickly adapted.
“Switching to softball was a lot of fun,” she said. “Once I switched to softball, I was a lot more open-minded because I was enjoying softball and basketball and at the time also volleyball.
“I just wanted to keep having fun and eventually play a sport in college, but I was open to whatever.”
Clifford has played varsity basketball since she was a freshman and has been recruited in that sport.
But softball will be where she makes her mark in the long term. Just two years after playing it for the first time, Clifford has committed to Wisconsin. Only two other Neuqua Valley graduates have played softball in the Big Ten.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Asquini said. “I was just so excited for her.
“I know how talented and hardworking she is. Her softball IQ and just knowledge of sports in general is high. She knows what it means to compete and work hard and then have that drive to want to succeed.”
It didn’t take long for Clifford to shine in softball. The 5-foot-7 shortstop is a two-time All-DuPage Valley Conference selection and was a Class 4A all-state third-team pick as a junior, when she batted .452 with three home runs, 23 RBIs and 37 runs scored.
But most college softball coaches don’t scout high school games, and Clifford does not play travel softball. So she worked hard making recruiting videos and sending them to colleges.
That garnered some interest, but it wasn’t until late June when she got Wisconsin coach Yvette Healy’s attention. A travel team, the Silver Hawks, were invited to a big tournament at the last minute and didn’t have enough players available, so they asked Clifford to play.
“It was actually my very first travel softball game I was playing when coach Healy saw me,” Clifford said. “She stayed to watch another game and then talked to me after, and the rest is history.”
Clifford attended Wisconsin’s camp in July, and the Badgers extended an offer the next day.
“Then I went on a visit, and I just really loved it there, and I knew this was kind of like the perfect school,” Clifford said. “I was talking to some other schools, but I was thinking there was no offer that was going to top this. Academically, distance-wise, coaching and the culture of the team, I thought it was a great fit.”
Clifford’s commitment thrilled everyone who knows her, including her older brother, Nolan, who is the reason she started playing baseball.
Nolan Clifford is playing in the minor leagues for the Colorado Rockies. He’s currently at Single-A Fresno after batting .368 during a six-game stint at Triple-A Albuquerque.
“My parents texted him and said, ‘Call your sister. She’s got some news,’” Nalia Clifford said. “He called me, and we chatted, and he was super supportive.
“He was like, ‘Told you you could do it.’ He’s always been one of my biggest fans, so I’m lucky to have him.”
Asquini, who became Maine East’s softball coach this summer, said Wisconsin will be lucky to have Nalia Clifford.
“They’re going to be very happy with her,” Asquini said. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘How can she get any better?’ And then she does. The sky is the limit.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
