Around the Horn: Joanna Bartz
5/7/2020 10:31:00 AM | Softball
Throughout the spring, we're going to take the opportunity to bring you a quick Q&A session with each of our players. We'll continue with junior Joanna Bartz.
Also - head to our Instagram page (MichStSB) to see our players' "Stay Home, Stay Safe" playlists - we all need a little musical inspiration these days!
What is something unique about your hometown? Mattawan, Michigan is a small village of less than 2,000 people.
Sports I played growing up other than softball: Growing up I played a couple different sports such as soccer and basketball. I also played varsity basketball all four years of high school
My favorite sport to watch: My favorite sport to watch is football especially college football or the Green Bay Packers in the NFL.
My favorite softball memory: My favorite softball memory would have to be from my freshman year at MSU when we played Michigan in the Big Ten tournament and beat them, knocking them out of the tournament. The game had been delayed due to weather which resulted in the field being dried off with a helicopter hours before game time. It was a great team win and by the end when we were celebrating our victory it was already around 1 am eastern time. It was such a fun experience to share with my teammates and beating Michigan is always an amazing feeling.
What was your favorite subject when you were growing up?My favorite subject while growing up was math or science. I always enjoyed taking those classes and math would come easy to me.
What is your major at MSU? How did you choose it?My major at MSU is Human Biology. I have always loved science and knew I wanted to do something either in the medical field such as a physician assistant or in coaching. So human biology was interesting to me and I knew would give me a good background for my future career.
Do you have a nickname? How’d you get it? I have many nicknames, but my top three nicknames are Jo, Bartzy, and Babyjo. People have always called be Jo growing up and Bartzy came around shortly after from friends and teammates. My dad calls me Babyjo and has ever since I was little.
Who has been the most important or influential person in your life? The most important person in my life has been my twin sister Kate. She has been with me since birth and has never left my side through good times and bad. She has been my rock and one of my biggest fans both in softball and in life. Going through life with her right by side has encouraged me to always work hard and do the best I can in everything I do not only for her but my family as well. She is currently studying to be an EMT and plans on continuing to become a nurse. Her grind and dedication has shown me to never give up and that if you really love something anything is possible. I could not do life without her love and support.
What is the best locker room prank you have ever seen? Can you describe a funny one? I’ve really never been a part of locker room pranks, one of the only “pranks” I can think of is my freshman year at MSU before a team meeting we turned off all the lights in the locker room so when Coach J came in she didn’t think we were there.
What is your favorite Big Ten city to visit? What has been your favorite non-conference road trip in your MSU career? My favorite Big Ten city to visit would have to be Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin is in the middle of a city that has many beautiful views and astonishing urban development. It was a great place to play at and the atmosphere was great! As for my favorite non-conference road trip in my MSU career has to be to California my freshman year spring break. We were able to play many different teams while in southern California and experience lots of fun things. It was a great team bonding experience and the warm weather is always a plus.
If you had one family member to spend a week with on an all-expenses paid vacation, who would it be? Where would you go? One family member I would spend a week with on an all-expenses paid vacation is with my twin sister Kate.I would want to go somewhere tropical to relax by the pool, see exotic animals, go scuba diving, go surfing, enjoy the ocean, and eat amazing seafood.
Your teammates are inspirational people in their own right. Tell us about a teammate (current or former) that has inspired you? I have had many teammates over my 16 years of playing softball. However, the one teammate who has inspired me is my roommate Riley Paxson. I met Riley the year before we came to MSU together when we played on the same travel team. Over the years she and I have become like sisters and I couldn’t image going through my college experience without her. She has been through so many injuries over her career and although she no longer gets to play by my side her resilience and grit through her knee injuries have inspired me to continue no matter what. She had to give up softball and the way she’s handled that has inspired me to be the best softball player I can be for her. Even though we aren’t together on the field anymore, she’s still by my side through it all.
