Courtesy of Florida State Athletics
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Several Florida State players have continued to be involved with softball this summer whether on the field or off. Current Seminoles including redshirt sophomores Alex Powers, Jessica Burroughs and sophomore Ellie Cooper have been competing in various leagues, while redshirt senior Maddie O’Brien gained experience during an internship with Louisville Slugger. Former Seminoles Kaleigh Rafter and Yuruby Alicart have been playing for their native countries in international competition and Briana Hamilton is playing professionally for the PA Rebellion.
Powers and Burroughs played in the Beach League in Myrtle Beach, S.C., from July 11 to Aug. 1. The Beach League started in 2013 and the pair of Noles competed for three weeks in games against collegiate softball players of all divisions from across the country. Powers went .469 from the plate (15-for-32), with two doubles, a triple and she also hit her first home run in a competitive game since coming back from multiple knee injuries that kept her out of the 2013 spring and fall seasons. Burroughs pitched very well in her appearances and gained valuable skills to come back and improve after earning All-ACC Second Team honors in 2014.
O’Brien spent a little over month traveling across the country with an internship with Louisville Slugger from June 28 to July 30. At youth baseball tournaments in Georgia and softball tournaments in Colorado, O’Brien assisted with setting up a booth and selling apparel and equipment. Young players could trust O’Brien to sell them quality equipment as she used Louisville Slugger bats and gloves during her historic 2014 season where she was named a NFCA First Team All-American and led the nation in RBI (83) and was second in both home runs (24) and slugging percentage (.942).
“I really enjoyed my time with Louisville Slugger this summer and would love to do it again,” said O’Brien. “I was able to learn more about the baseball side of things, like the different kinds of wood bats and what the differences are. When I was in Colorado a lot of the girls playing in the tournament recognized me and wanted pictures or an autograph. It was so cute!”
Sixteen of the world’s best women’s softball national teams will compete in Haarlem, Netherlands for the 2014 ISF World Championships from Aug. 15-24. Cooper will look to build on a strong freshman campaign for the Seminoles in 2014 and will participate for New Zealand in the tournament. She has been a member of the White Sox on both the senior and junior national teams since 2011 which placed fourth in the Junior World Championships in 2013.
New Zealand will start off group play against Russia on Aug. 15 at 4:15 p.m. local (10:15 a.m. ET). The other teams in Group A with the White sox are: China, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Japan, Puerto Rico and Canada.
Team Canada’s roster includes former Seminole Rafter (2009) and its first game will be against Puerto Rico on Aug. 15 at 1:30 p.m. local (7:30 a.m. ET). The two Noles will face each other as New Zealand takes on Canada on Aug. 17 at 8:00 p.m. local (2:00 p.m. ET). You can find out more information about the ISF World Championships at http://www.wcsoftball2014.com/en/home.
Rafter also participated with the Canada national team that advanced to the finals of the World Cup of Softball IX in Irvine, Calif., from July 7-13, but was not the only former Seminole on the field. Venezuela-native Yuruby Alicart, who played for FSU from 2006-07, competed for her home country and hit two home runs and scored five times as Venezuela won three games during the tournament.
Hamilton been making a name for herself in the National Pro Fastpitch league as a member of the PA Rebellion. Just one week after her 2014 FSU season ended in Oklahoma City, she was on the field for the Rebellion and has played both at first base and third base and currently is batting .241 (19-for-91) in 31 games. Hamilton has tallied 10 RBI, eight walks, six runs and is tied for the team lead with five home runs.
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