As a freshman, Andrea stormed onto the scene and immediately made an impact on the program. She and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Michelle Limb helped provide big offensive sparks in the Belles' first win back from spring break - a mercy-rule victory over Wheaton. That was one of 20 wins for the nickname-laden team and propelled the Belles to a national ranking for the first time ever. La Pared, or "The Wall" as she was known by her teammates, posted a school-record 49 hits while leading the team with a .426 batting average.
In the spring of 1996, her offensive production climbed even higher. She improved upon her single-season hit record with 50 hits while notching a .370 batting average as the Belles won a school-record 23 games. When the season was said and done, the Belles had another 20-win season in the books for just the fifth time in program history.
During a tumultuous 1997 season which saw the team fall under the guidance of multiple head coaches, Andrea had yet another record-setting season. For the third year in-a-row, she set the school record for hits in a season with 53 hits in just 38 games. She paced the team with a .424 batting average and scored 43 runs.
The spring of 1998 saw Andrea cap off a truly outstanding career. At the conclusion of the season, she became the program's first All-MIAA First Team honoree in the school's first year of membership in the conference. She cemented her place in the record books with 192 career hits, 68 stolen bases, and the three highest single-season hit totals in program history. She also surpassed former teammate Michelle Limb's school record mark of 149 career games played. In four seasons, Andrea scored a school-record 145 runs - a total that still stands at the top of the record book today.
In addition to softball, Andrea worked in both the chemistry and biology labs as a student at Saint Mary's. She studied abroad in Rome during the fall of her sophomore year. During that same trip, she worked for the program director. She was an active volunteer as she gave of her time to talk to prospective Saint Mary's women, assisted at an adult day care facility, and helped serve the Sisters of the Holy Cross. She also earned honors on her senior comprehensive and was named to "Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities" as a senior.
Andrea graduated in May 1998 with a degree in biology and a minor in sociology. She currently works for Methodist Health Care System in San Antonio, Texas, where she works with trauma patients. She also keeps busy with her four-year-old daughter Elizabeth and her two-year-old son Joseph. She works closely with the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation.Â
