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Rachel O'Connell is one of two Billikens selected to travel to Europe with USAAI.
July 3, 2008
Vienna, Austria - Saint Louis University softball players Rachel O'Connell and Kristain Burger are traveling to Austria and Hungary this summer on a 10-day softball trip (Vienna Softball Series) with USA Athletes International, Inc. The pair will keep Billiken fans updated on their trip through a blog on www.slubillikens.com.
Photos of the trip are available here.
Entry #1
As I prepare for my 10-day trip to Austria and Hungary, there are a lot of things I have to remember to do! I went out and bought new carry-on luggage so I can avoid checking too many bags. I also had to go and buy an adapter so I can use my appliances from the U.S. when I'm over there. However, the hardest part was deciding what to bring on the trip! I have no idea what the weather will be like over there, so I'm basically bringing clothes for every season just in case.
When I was first asked to go on this trip I was really excited! Two of my favorite things to do are travel and play softball. To be given the opportunity to play on a team with people from all over the U.S., as well as one of my SLU teammates, Kristain Burger, is an honor. I began fundraising for this trip back in October. I sent letters out to 30 companies and friends hoping to raise enough money to go on this amazing trip. In the end, I was able to raise more money than expected and my whole trip will be paid for by fundraising alone.
My only problem now is hoping that I'm able to play once we arrive in Austria. As of now, I am not able to actually play due to going through shoulder surgery at the end of May. I had tears in my rotator cuff and labrum and I also had my capsule released. I am moving ahead of schedule in rehab, and am set to begin a hitting and throwing program shortly.
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I feel our team accomplished so much on and off the field last season. We set records as a team and some people set individual records. Having some of our players ranked among the best in the nation statistically speaking is a great accomplishment for our program. The freshmen on our team really stepped up a lot this season. Our entire outfield was freshmen and we had some on the infield too. It was great to see each player step up and contribute when called upon. We know that in tough situations, we could count on any part of our lineup to get that game-winning RBI, get a leadoff hit, make a great defensive play or strike out the opponent's best hitter. It took all of us working together to achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the season, especially our main objective of making the conference tournament. When our season came down to the wire, we were able to sweep Dayton to get into the tournament for the second year in a row.
The upcoming season should be no different than the last. With a young team, there is nothing to do but continue to get better and learn to play with each other so we can make our dreams a reality!
OC (Rachel O'Connell)
