Softball Italiano: Local Girl Represents America’s Team In Italy

By Seth Herrold
R-T Sports Editor
When the Trenton Lady Bulldogs softball team take the field in 2010 they will be looking for some experience to guide their young team which boasts only a handful of varsity returnees. One of those returnees, however, not only gained some added softball experience this summer, but ended up with the experience of a lifetime as well.

Senior outfielder Samantha Hudson spent a portion of her summer on a nine-day, six-game tour of Italy, playing for “America’s Team.” The squad was headed by Coach Christie Ambrosi, who was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s softball team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Ambrosi, who is a native of Overland Park, KS, has been Hudson’s hitting coach for the past two and one-half years and it was that connection that got her the invitation to travel to Italy as a member of “America’s Team.”
“My hitting coach asked me to play with her team that she was taking to Italy,” Hudson said. “We went to Verona, Florence and Rome and played in several different ballparks.”
The trip didn’t come without a learning curve as some very experienced American softball players had to adjust to the Italian rules of the game. A smaller batter’s box, and more distance from home plate to the pitching rubber were the biggest differences from the way the game is played on American soil.
The Italians, normally known for their play on the soccer field, weren’t without some solid softball players. Despite extra distance in which to pick up the pitch, hits were still very hard to come by.
“The extra distance didn’t really help when I was at the plate,” Hudson said. “They allowed ‘crow-hopping’ (letting your back foot come up from the pitcher mound), so that gave the pitchers a pretty good advantage. The Italian players were similar to your typical American players, but they played with a lot of older girls. Half of their teams were composed of maybe 20-year-olds and the team from Rome had one 30-year-old, so we got to play against players of all ages.”
The experience, a dream to most teenagers, was a reality for Hudson as she and her American teammates toured famous Roman landmarks such as the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Roman Coliseum, often refered to as the birthplace of sports. As is the case with most team sports, comradery ran deep and Hudson made friendships and memories that will stick with her for the rest of her life.
“After we finished our games we would eat together as a team and we really got to know each other,” Hudson said. “It was a lot of fun to get to know the girls from Italy. It was fun to try and make out what they were saying because they didn’t speak very much English. I made a lot of friends, though, and I have kept in contact with a lot of them.”
Softball never really stops for Hudson, who is the daughter of Steve and Lora Hudson of Trenton. For several years, Hudson has played in various summer leagues with the Phantoms, a traveling team comprised of players from throughout the area. The Italy trip, however, was a major stepping stone for Hudson, helping her transition from a role player for the Trenton Lady Bulldogs to the every-game contributor she is expected to be this fall.
Italy helped improve Hudson as a player and a leader, something Trenton will look to get from her and fellow varsity returnees like Chanel Pash, Lindsey Derry, Maddie Hooyman and Avery Whitaker.
“I definitely got more out of this experience than I do in traditional summer leagues,” Hudson said. “I feel like it made me a better player overall. Playing with Christy and those girls taught me a lot and helped me develop my game in all aspects.”
Playing in Italy is something of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but Hudson has not ruled out a return sometime in the future.
“I would like to go back,” Hudson said. “ I would like to see Venice for sure.”
While Hudson hopes for a return trip to Italy someday, she and her fellow Lady Bulldog teammates will undoubtedly be hoping for a return trip to the MSHSAA Final Four again this season. One thing is for certain, with a member of America’s Team in the outfield, you can’t write them off yet.