By SEAN BRENNAN

Special to BIGEAST.com

In our latest installment of GETTING TO KNOW...the Baseball Edition, we catch up with Georgetown senior AC Carter. AC dishes on the indirect path he took to becoming a Hoya, why he has emerged as one of the BIG EAST's more feared hitters this season, what he has in common with Serena Williams (and it's not a mighty backhand), what cool hobbies he has off the field and what he got for his mom as an early Mother's Day present.

BIGEAST.com: So AC, what exactly does the AC stand for?

CARTER: "Actually it's just my initials. When I was 11 or so there were too many kids named Alex on my team so I started going by AC and it stuck."

BIGEAST.com: I see you started off your college career at Notre Dame. Why did you end up leaving South Bend?

CARTER: "It was kind of a bizarre way that I ended up at Notre Dame. I committed to Boston College originally and then the coaches left. So by the time the old coaches at Boston College left for Notre Dame, I didn't have many other options so I followed them over there. But I just ended up not being too happy with the school and the whole setup so I just wanted to start over. It wasn't fun there.So I went to junior college (Seminole State College in Florida) for a year and had a great time. I discovered more of a love for baseball and then I ended up coming here and I'm very happy here at Georgetown."

BIGEAST.com: Why did you zero in on Georgetown?

CARTER: "I wanted to go to a school with great academics as well as good baseball. So I sent out a lot of emails to schools but primarily the two schools I talked to the most were Georgetown and Duke and I really wanted to come to Georgetown. I really like it here, I love being in D.C, and it's a really great setup. There's a lot of energy in D.C. There's a lot going on and plenty to do."

BIGEAST.com: Last season you played a lot of catcher and designated hitter but this season you have played exclusively at first base. Do you have a particular position you enjoy playing more than others?

CARTER: "Oh yeah in my heart I'm a catcher. I love being back there behind the plate and being involved in every play. I particularly enjoy calling the games, that's one of my favorite things. I love catching but I also love hitting so I'll play wherever it gets me in the lineup."

BIGEAST.com: Going into your weekend series with St. John's you're hitting a robust .305 which is second on the team, your 33 RBI leads the team and your four homers places you second. Last season you finished the year as a .245 hitter. What changed for you this season?

CARTER: "A lot of things. Last year I had to play through a few injuries and by the time they all got healed up last year I didn't have much strength left. So if I couldn't hit the ball past the infield I couldn't get too many hits because I don't have the most speed in the world. I'm also working with (hitting coach) Phil Disher a lot and he's done a great job with me. He's a great hitting coach. He's helped me a lot so I think those are the two main things."

BIGEAST.com: I hear your dad was a pro tennis player?

CARTER: "Yeah my dad David Carter played in the late 70s and early 80s primarily."

BIGEAST.com: So how did he do on the circuit?

CARTER: "He did pretty well. I think his top ranking in the singles side of the tennis world was around 70 and in doubles I think he got ranked as high as 35th. He played in all the majors, Wimbledon, Australian, the French Open and the U.S. Open. He played against Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe and all those guys. He had a good career."

BIGEAST.com: So does dad regale you with stories of his tennis days?

CARTER: "Actually no, not too often. He's more focused on my baseball, I think. But he did find a video of him playing against Borg which was pretty cool to watch. I just watched it when I was home over Christmas break."

BIGEAST.com: So how did he do against Borg?

CARTER: "Borg was the better player. But that's all right. Borg was a pretty good player."

BIGEAST.com: OK, so what's with this habit of grunting on the field like Serena Williams? Where did that come from?

CARTER: "I think that ties in with dad as well from tennis. I grew up playing tennis, it was my first sport but I eventually learned that I'd rather hit the ball and not have to run after it (laughs). So we stuck with baseball rather than tennis and the grunt just carried on over."

BIGEAST.com: Are you conscious of it when you're playing?

CARTER: "Not really. I've tried to stop it at times and it doesn't work out very well. I wind up focusing on the grunt and not focusing on the hitting. At this point I've just accepted it and I like it. I think other people get amused at it as well so it's not a bad thing."

BIGEAST.com: Do you grunt only when you hit or is it when you throw as well?

CARTER: "It's essentially any time I exert any kind of force. Running, hitting, throwing, I really can't get away from it. I think it will be with me the rest of my life."

BIGEAST.com: So you had shoulder-length hair for the whole season until earlier this week when you had a lot of it cut off. Why the drastic change in hair style all of a sudden?

CARTER: "Well the shorter hair is easier to manage and I think mom wants a nice graduation photo and I owe that to her."

BIGEAST.com: So an early Mother's Day gift?

CARTER: "Yeah you could say that."

BIGEAST.com: When asked to describe you in one word, (Georgetown head coach) Pete Wilk said he couldn't but he had a few. Some of them were "eccentric," "unique," "thoughtful" and "light-hearted." Do you think any of those or all of those describe you?

CARTER: "I'd like to think so. I think they all fit well. I decided a while ago that I would never let baseball make me feel miserable again so I enjoy the way I play. I don't like to play too high strung. I'm a lot better when I play with some joy in the game."

BIGEAST.com: What do you like to do when you're not playing baseball? Any hobbies?

CARTER: "I do a radio show for Georgetown radio so I spend a lot of time with music. I also cook a lot so those would be my two main hobbies."

BIGEAST.com: "How often are you on the air?

CARTER: "I'm on once a week, every Monday at 11. Actually my last show is coming up this Monday. Last year I played a lot of minimalism but this year I kind of take a different genre each week and explore how it evolves and grows over time. I've had a lot of fun with it this year."

BIGEAST.com: Seems like you're having a great time with your various interests at Georgetown. Graduation is coming up soon. Are you going to miss school?

CARTER: "I'll definitely miss it. But I'm going to come back and visit. I made a lot of good friends here and the school is great and there is plenty to do in D.C. so I'll make sure I'll be back."

BIGEAST.com: What are you looking to do after graduation?

CARTER: "Primarily I'd like to extend playing baseball as long as I can, keep playing and have a little career. But after that I'll probably take the LSAT (test) and go to law school. But I'm in no rush to get there."

BIGEAST.com: Do you hear anything about you possibly being drafted in June in the MLB Amateur Draft?

CARTER: "Yeah I've heard a couple of things recently so we'll see what happens. But I'm really just focused on playing (the rest of Georgetown's season). But hopefully some opportunity arises but if not I'll try to find some other avenues."

BIGEAST.com: OK, you have three BIG EAST series left beginning with St. John's this weekend at home. It's part of a long home stand for the Hoyas. That's a nice place to be as you make a run at a BIG EAST tournament spot.

CARTER: "Over the next two weeks we have a long home stand. We have St. John's for three and then Butler for three at home and then three at Seton Hall. Yeah hopefully we get some momentum going rolling into the tournament."