TMEPE, Ariz. – The start of classes on the campus of Arizona State University last week, ended what has been a very successful summer for a pair of incoming Sun Devil Softball players.
Freshmen Macy Simmons (USA) and Celeste Soliz (Mexico) each competed for their U17 National Teams this summer culminating in both teams reaching the Super Round of the recently completed WBSC U-19 Women's Softball World Cup held in Irvine, Calif.
For Simmons and Team USA, the event ended in a record third-straight World Title. The US maintained a perfect 10-0 record, shutting out nine of their opponents, before claiming a 4-3 walk-off win over Japan to finish off a championship run.
"We set a record this summer becoming the first team to win a third-straight WBSC World Cup," Simmons said her team's effort. "It was just an amazing experience. To wear the nation's colors and play the sport I love was just indescribable. I felt so honored to represent our country with such amazing teammates by my side."
Soliz and Team Mexico also enjoyed a very successful run, tallying a seventh-place finish after going 4-5 at the event. Soliz finished the World Cup with four hits, four runs scored and an RBI, punctuating an experience she says only made her that much more prepared to compete in the Pac-12 with ASU.
Competing on the world stage in your nation's colors was a dream come true for Soliz and Simmons, and while a very select few get the opportunity, hard work and dedication are important factors in attaining that goal.
"My process really started during my freshman year of high school," Soliz said of her path to the national stage. "I was invited to tryouts and was told I did not make the team. I was just really young and needed time to develop both as a player and as a person. Through the next couple of years, I continued to try out and this year I got the call that I was selected to play with the team. I was super excited about it. It wasn't something that just happened at one tryout, it took a few years and a lot of hard work. It was really rewarding in the moment, but I knew I had to come in and do a job. I wanted to come in and compete to win."
For the Red White and Blue, Simmons says her path was one that started with an invite to training camp, an opportunity she almost thought too good to be true.
"I was invited to join the camp last summer," Simmons said of her path to making the roster for Team USA. "I actually got an email earlier, but I initially thought it was too good to be true and didn't make the tryout. When it came through again I knew I had to go try out. It has always been my dream to play for the Junior National Team. I just worked so hard to get that opportunity, and I, one day, would love to go with the national team to compete in the Olympics."
While the calendar has now turned over into the start of the 2019-20 competitive year, the success of the summer will provide a great building block for both ASU newcomers. A foundation that Sun Devil fans hope springboards the 2020 team to their second trip to OKC and the WCWS in the last three seasons. Fans can follow all of the action from the fall season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
Freshmen Macy Simmons (USA) and Celeste Soliz (Mexico) each competed for their U17 National Teams this summer culminating in both teams reaching the Super Round of the recently completed WBSC U-19 Women's Softball World Cup held in Irvine, Calif.
For Simmons and Team USA, the event ended in a record third-straight World Title. The US maintained a perfect 10-0 record, shutting out nine of their opponents, before claiming a 4-3 walk-off win over Japan to finish off a championship run.
"We set a record this summer becoming the first team to win a third-straight WBSC World Cup," Simmons said her team's effort. "It was just an amazing experience. To wear the nation's colors and play the sport I love was just indescribable. I felt so honored to represent our country with such amazing teammates by my side."
Soliz and Team Mexico also enjoyed a very successful run, tallying a seventh-place finish after going 4-5 at the event. Soliz finished the World Cup with four hits, four runs scored and an RBI, punctuating an experience she says only made her that much more prepared to compete in the Pac-12 with ASU.
Competing on the world stage in your nation's colors was a dream come true for Soliz and Simmons, and while a very select few get the opportunity, hard work and dedication are important factors in attaining that goal.
"My process really started during my freshman year of high school," Soliz said of her path to the national stage. "I was invited to tryouts and was told I did not make the team. I was just really young and needed time to develop both as a player and as a person. Through the next couple of years, I continued to try out and this year I got the call that I was selected to play with the team. I was super excited about it. It wasn't something that just happened at one tryout, it took a few years and a lot of hard work. It was really rewarding in the moment, but I knew I had to come in and do a job. I wanted to come in and compete to win."
For the Red White and Blue, Simmons says her path was one that started with an invite to training camp, an opportunity she almost thought too good to be true.
"I was invited to join the camp last summer," Simmons said of her path to making the roster for Team USA. "I actually got an email earlier, but I initially thought it was too good to be true and didn't make the tryout. When it came through again I knew I had to go try out. It has always been my dream to play for the Junior National Team. I just worked so hard to get that opportunity, and I, one day, would love to go with the national team to compete in the Olympics."
While the calendar has now turned over into the start of the 2019-20 competitive year, the success of the summer will provide a great building block for both ASU newcomers. A foundation that Sun Devil fans hope springboards the 2020 team to their second trip to OKC and the WCWS in the last three seasons. Fans can follow all of the action from the fall season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.