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Julianna Verni dominates as a reliever on Syracuse’s pitching staff. Her hard-throwing style offers a new look to hitters after being pestered by offspeed pitches from SU’s starting pitchers Lindsey Hendrix and Madison Knight.

While her pitching style says otherwise, there is a more thoughtful side to Verni. Through volunteer opportunities and a continuous dedication to support her local communities, Verni’s true passion is helping others.

“I really enjoy seeing people happy,” Verni said. “And I will typically do whatever I can to help someone find joy in their day.”

Throughout her career, Verni has made her work outside the softball field a priority. When she was not actively practicing during her 20-plus hour training schedule with SU, Verni interned at Make-A-Wish, was the co-president of her high school’s Red Cross Club and is a certified EMT.

Verni has excelled on the field too. The sophomore transferred from Purdue to Syracuse for the 2024 season and has appeared in 17 games, posting a 3.28 ERA and four saves.

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“Whenever she goes out there I think everyone has full confidence in her,” SU pitcher Jessie DiPasquale said of Verni. “She gets excited when she’s out there and I think everyone else gets excited.”

Before college, Verni attended Nardin Academy, an all-girls school in Buffalo, New York. DiPasquale also attended the school but Verni suffered a back injury in her freshman year, preventing the two from playing much together.

At Nardin, Verni commanded the circle along with Tennessee commit Erin Nuwer, leading Nardin to a 16-4 record in 2022. Yet Verni’s softball accomplishments came second to the impact she made off of the diamond.

In her senior year at Nardin, she was co-president of the Red Cross Club, an organization related to the American Red Cross nonprofit. Previously, the club only hosted a blood drive but due to age and physical restrictions that come with donating blood, many students couldn’t participate.

“She comes off initially as quiet and reserved,” said Nardin Academy Principal Colleen Robertson. “But she is just so incredibly thoughtful.”

Verni’s goal was to raise more money for disaster relief for the American Red Cross while generating more school spirit. Dodgeball checked every box on her list.

Students donated $5 to play for their class in a school-wide dodgeball tournament. Freshmen faced sophomores while juniors faced seniors. The winners of each game met in the finals for a shot at playing in their version of the Super Bowl — a game against the staff.

The tournament was a resounding success. Robertson said the school raised “a couple thousand dollars,” while increasing school spirit. The inaugural tournament was during Verni’s senior year in 2022, a tradition the school has continued since.

“By this time, the faculty want to kill the seniors,” Robertson said. “And the seniors want to kill the faculty.”

Verni’s boundaries extend well past Nardin and the Red Cross Club. At Syracuse, she’s in the pre-medical program and is a certified EMT. To earn certification, she took a three-month long course with clinical time on Saturdays. But as a Division I athlete, Verni’s schedule was different.

“I think it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, honestly,” Verni said of the experience.

Verni’s weeknights were filled with EMT work while early morning softball practices and workouts followed. Yet Verni succeeded. She begins work as an EMT in June 2024 and will continue until she graduates to meet clinical time requirements.

On top of softball and her EMT course, Verni added an internship at Make-A-Wish from January to March where she worked toward fundraising to provide wishes to chronically ill children. Within the Buffalo community, she worked with local businesses to raise money and gather donations for Make-A-Wish’s annual gala.

“I wanted to support the Buffalo community, in terms of helping kids with chronic illnesses,” Verni said.

Her impact in Buffalo is felt elsewhere as well, especially during the holiday season.

Her father, Dominic, works for Pegula Sports and Entertainment — the owners of the Buffalo Bills and Sabres. Every fall, the teams provide meals on Thanksgiving for people without housing in Buffalo. Alongside the city’s star athletes, Verni gives back.

Though Verni’s impacts on the field are crucial to Syracuse’s softball success, her determination outside the pitching circle is what encapsulates her. The impact Verni has made on others has “left a legacy” behind her, Robertson said.

“Many people are going through things that others don’t know about and being kind and helpful is the least I can do to make someone’s day better,” Verni said. “It makes me feel good seeing other people happy.”

Published on April 29, 2024 at 12:14 am

Contact Nick: nsjepson@syr.edu