Sosby earns her 'Stripes,' wins bronze medal in Netherlands
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The sport of softball has taken Whiteoak sophomore Kiley Sosby many places, but her most recent endeavor with softball took her across the globe as she was a part of Team USA Stripes, who won a bronze medal in The Cup International Fastpitch Tournament.
Sosby, who had a 17-strikeout game to lead WHS to a sectional title her freshman season, got the call from tournament organizer Kirt Whiteside to be a part of Team USA Stripes, which was one of six teams from the United States to travel to Rotterdam, Netherlands, as they competed against 10 European National teams in the 13th annual tournament.
The 15-year-old Sosby, who was Division IV First-Team All-SE District last season, told The Highland County Press about the competition level of the tournament, as she's also played in The Queen of Diamonds event this past summer.
In the Queen of Diamonds event this past summer (Aug. 25-26), Sosby was named MVP of the South Carolina event with a no-hitter, striking out nine batters and walking one for the only base runner allowed.
The MVP performance was one of the calling cards that earned her a spot on Team USA to play at one of the higher levels of softball.
"The competition of the European teams was at a very high level since these teams were made up of women aged 17-27, and some had represented their countries when softball was in the Olympics," Sosby said. "I do face this level of competition in the summer with my (summer) travel team Lasers Blue."
Being the first time she's traveled overseas to play softball, the sophomore said this was the highlight of her playing career.
"This was my first time of traveling overseas to play softball," Sosby said. "It was the highlight of my softball career so far. To be able to say that you played fast-pitch softball in Europe at the age of 15 is awesome.
"This experience taught me that by working hard, you can accomplish great things, and I plan to carry that into the upcoming high school season with my team. My Stripes team was assembled with 10 players from different states that had not played together, but we each knew our role, and by putting everything into it, we proved what we could do. We became a team."
The Stripes team was constructed with players from 10 different states, as they were the highest-placing team from the United States, the highest any team from the US has placed since '04.
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The 8,200-mile round trip wasn't just about softball, as Sosby also used it as an educational experience to see historical landmarks, while along the way gaining new friendships.
"When I was there, I saw Anne Frank's house, Eiffel Tower, Princess Di Memorial, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, French Statue of Liberty, the Louvre museum which has the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo statue, Sacré-Coeur (Basilica Church) and a lot of other interesting historical sights," Sosby said.
"I made a lot of new friends from the US, Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic in the fast-pitch world. I will be able to keep in contact with them and hopefully be able to meet again on the field."
The Stripes team finished in third place, winning the bronze medal in the three-day tournament, as they finished behind the Netherlands Gryphons and Czech Republic Stars.
Sosby spoke about how different the game was at the European tournament, compared to the game in the US.
"Even though fast-pitch softball in the US is a fast game, it was much faster there since they have 13-meter (54-foot) bases instead of 60-foot," the sophomore said. "In the US, players try to drive the ball and hit with power, but over there, they just put the ball in play, use their quickness and use the shorter bases to play small ball."
As for the event itself, the atmosphere of playing in a different country with a select group of players was something which Sosby cherishes.
"It wasn't the actual Team USA, but it was a huge honor and privilege to represent one of the USA Cup teams in an international event," Sosby said. "I was very proud when they announced the US teams and played our national anthem.
"The experience was amazing. They had an opening ceremony similar to the Olympics with all the players lined up with their countries' flags and played the various national anthems. I want to thank everyone who helped me have this experience."
Sosby, who had a 17-strikeout game to lead WHS to a sectional title her freshman season, got the call from tournament organizer Kirt Whiteside to be a part of Team USA Stripes, which was one of six teams from the United States to travel to Rotterdam, Netherlands, as they competed against 10 European National teams in the 13th annual tournament.
The 15-year-old Sosby, who was Division IV First-Team All-SE District last season, told The Highland County Press about the competition level of the tournament, as she's also played in The Queen of Diamonds event this past summer.
In the Queen of Diamonds event this past summer (Aug. 25-26), Sosby was named MVP of the South Carolina event with a no-hitter, striking out nine batters and walking one for the only base runner allowed.
The MVP performance was one of the calling cards that earned her a spot on Team USA to play at one of the higher levels of softball.
"The competition of the European teams was at a very high level since these teams were made up of women aged 17-27, and some had represented their countries when softball was in the Olympics," Sosby said. "I do face this level of competition in the summer with my (summer) travel team Lasers Blue."
Being the first time she's traveled overseas to play softball, the sophomore said this was the highlight of her playing career.
"This was my first time of traveling overseas to play softball," Sosby said. "It was the highlight of my softball career so far. To be able to say that you played fast-pitch softball in Europe at the age of 15 is awesome.
"This experience taught me that by working hard, you can accomplish great things, and I plan to carry that into the upcoming high school season with my team. My Stripes team was assembled with 10 players from different states that had not played together, but we each knew our role, and by putting everything into it, we proved what we could do. We became a team."
The Stripes team was constructed with players from 10 different states, as they were the highest-placing team from the United States, the highest any team from the US has placed since '04.
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The 8,200-mile round trip wasn't just about softball, as Sosby also used it as an educational experience to see historical landmarks, while along the way gaining new friendships.
"When I was there, I saw Anne Frank's house, Eiffel Tower, Princess Di Memorial, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, French Statue of Liberty, the Louvre museum which has the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo statue, Sacré-Coeur (Basilica Church) and a lot of other interesting historical sights," Sosby said.
"I made a lot of new friends from the US, Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic in the fast-pitch world. I will be able to keep in contact with them and hopefully be able to meet again on the field."
The Stripes team finished in third place, winning the bronze medal in the three-day tournament, as they finished behind the Netherlands Gryphons and Czech Republic Stars.
Sosby spoke about how different the game was at the European tournament, compared to the game in the US.
"Even though fast-pitch softball in the US is a fast game, it was much faster there since they have 13-meter (54-foot) bases instead of 60-foot," the sophomore said. "In the US, players try to drive the ball and hit with power, but over there, they just put the ball in play, use their quickness and use the shorter bases to play small ball."
As for the event itself, the atmosphere of playing in a different country with a select group of players was something which Sosby cherishes.
"It wasn't the actual Team USA, but it was a huge honor and privilege to represent one of the USA Cup teams in an international event," Sosby said. "I was very proud when they announced the US teams and played our national anthem.
"The experience was amazing. They had an opening ceremony similar to the Olympics with all the players lined up with their countries' flags and played the various national anthems. I want to thank everyone who helped me have this experience."