Just two days after the Chicago Bandits won their second straight National Pro Fastpitch Championship in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on August 23rd, Lacey Waldrop and Megan Blank boarded a plane bound for Italy. Waldrop a second-year pitcher for the Bandits, was a standout college player at FSU and was crowned National Pitcher of the Year during her Junior season in 2014. Blank a second-year infielder for the Bandits, played her collegiate career at The University of Iowa and was the Bandit’s Rookie of the Year her first season in the NPF. The pair is currently playing softball in an Italian league and were able to find a break in their busy schedule to answer some questions about their trip so far!
The streets of Bussolengo (Photo by: Lacey Waldrop)
What city in Italy are you playing in?
L&M: We are in Bussolengo – which is about 15 minutes outside of Verona
How many weeks will you be there?
L&M: About 5 1/2 weeks, the playoffs last until September 25th, and then we will have about a week to travel around Europe and explore.
What are the living arrangements? Do you stay with other players or a host family?
L&M: We’re staying in an apartment style hotel. There are about 10 of us who stay in the residence, and the rest of the team commute to practice.
How would you compare the level of play in Italy to that of college and the NPF?
L&M: It’s definitely not as competitive as the NPF, but everyone is just as passionate about the sport as we are.
How old are your teammates and opponents?
L&M: Anywhere from 16 to late 30s. There is a junior Bussolengo team and a few of those girls will also play with our team, but we also have one teammate who is in her late thirties.
Is there a big fan following over there? Compare it to playing in front of the Chicago Bandits Fans in the NPF.
L&M: So far we have only had practice, so we haven’t really seen how many people show up for the games, but softball is starting to become more popular here. Now that it’s back in the Olympics we believe the word will be spread about the sport in Italy, causing more fan support.
Lacey (left), Megan (center), and a teammate (right) take in the beautiful views of Lake Garda
Lacey, rumor has it, you’ve had some at-bats. Talk about that experience and the outcome.
L: So far I’ve hit in practice as well as our scrimmages, and although I did get out my first few at-bats, I’m starting to feel like I’m getting in the rhythm of hitting again, although my body is sore in places that it usually isn’t, and I have plenty of blisters on my hands! It’s all worth it though because I actually hit a home run in one of our scrimmages! As soon as I saw it go over, I threw my hands up and said, “BEST DAY EVER!”. You could say I was a little excited!
Lacey, how would you compare the hitters you’ve faced in Italy to those from college and in the NPF?
L: The hitting style here is very different here than in the NPF. There is a huge emphasis on bunting and what I think they call “slash hitting” I would almost say it’s slapping from the right side, so really everyone is just trying to put the ball in play. Also, there are hardly ever any lefties, so as a righty pitcher I think that gives me a huge advantage.
Megan, how would you compare the pitching you’ve seen to that of college ball and in the NPF?
M: The pitchers generally don’t throw as hard as in the NPF. There’s not as much pitch charting, so we don’t get the same kind of scouting reports on the pitchers that we would back in the states.
Lake Garda (Photo by: Lacey Waldrop)
What do you do in your spare time?
M: So far we’ve explored our little town of Bussolengo, spent some time at Lake Garda and gone on a day trip to Verona. My (Megan’s) mom and brother are coming to visit! When they’re here, we’ll get to go on a wine tour, spend some more time in Verona, and see more of Lake Garda. We’ve also been trying to cook a lot! I wish we could take credit for everything tasting so good, but buying fresh pasta is so cheap and tasty that it makes cooking easy! We’ve also planned to go to Rome next weekend to hopefully see the Coliseum and the Vatican. Luckily one of our teammates is from Rome and she offered to show us around!
How will you travel to Rome? Any other cities you plan to hit?
L&M: Traveling by train here is relatively cheap and quick, so we’re planning on taking advantage of that and trying to also make trips to Venice, Milan and possibly a few cities in France once we’re done playing.
Have you developed any daily routines since being abroad?
L&M: We love to sit in the piazza in the mornings and afternoons before practice while we enjoy our cappuccino!
What’s your favorite Italian dish & dessert?
M: Pizza and gelato
L: I love all the stuffed kinds of pasta, and I also love the gelato! There was a fig and walnut flavor and it was delicious!
Italian Pizza (Photo by: Lacey Waldrop)
Are Vespa’s a thing? And have you been on one?
L&M: We’ve seen a few around, but we haven’t had a chance to ride one, but bicycles, in general, are very popular here. We have a beautiful bike trail in Bussolengo, so we see bikers all the time!
The pair begin game play this week and will return to the States in early October.
