Gabi Novickas’ first year of college was an eventful one.
On the field, she had a big year as a first baseman at Georgia. And off the field, she changed majors.
The 2025 Marist graduate is studying biomedical physiology with a goal of becoming a physician’s assistant.
“I came into college wanting to do business,” Novickas said. “But then I decided I wanted to be a physician’s assistant. I wasn’t 100 percent (sure), but now I am.
“Coming into my freshman year in the fall, I took a few business classes. But I was like, you know, this just isn’t for me. Actually, one of my teammates recommended the biomedical physiology major and after reading about it, I think it fits perfectly with what I want to do.
“It talks about human anatomy and functions of the body and how the body works and stuff like that. It gets into biology and chemistry and genetics and all the little details.”
On the diamond, Novickas started 44 of 57 games she played, finishing fourth on the team in batting average (.364), sixth in home runs (eight) and seventh in RBIs (28). She also scored 26 runs scored and hit eight doubles to go along with an on-base percentage of .487 and a slugging percentage of .628.
The Bulldogs finished 41-20, winning their own NCAA regional title before losing to Tennessee in a super regional.
Her most memorable home run? A grand slam on May 2, which powered Georgia past SEC rival Florida 9-1.
That helped Novickas earn the SEC Freshman of the Week award for May 4 after going 5-for-9 with six RBIs in the series.
“That was awesome,” Novickas said. “Coming in as a freshman and being able to be in the lineup, you see the weekly awards that get handed out. We had an SEC Player of the Week a few weeks prior and I had known about the award and it’s a big deal.
“After I hit the grand slam and being in the locker room, people were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, Gabi. You just won the SEC Freshman of the Week.’ This is what you work for all season long and to be able to contribute to your team in ways like that (is great).
“To see everything written out and to see it all on social media, that was an insane feeling. To be surrounded by teammates when I found out all the news, that was awesome.”
And if winning the first SEC accolade of her playing career wasn’t enough, that it came against the Gators — Georgia’s biggest rival — made the accomplishment that much more meaningful.
“Absolutely,” Novickas said. “Growing up and watching Georgia and Florida and you know about the rivalry not only in football mostly but in all sports.
“Especially with how Game 1 and Game 2 (of the series) went. Also, you see from the seniors and the coaching staff how badly we wanted to beat Florida. Being able to do that and come in and hit a grand slam and walk off the game, it was honestly the most insane thing ever.
“I still think about that feeling that I had because the rush of joy and happiness of getting to run home to my teammates and everything (was memorable). Knowing that it was against Florida was the cherry on top.”