Incoming Gator Freshmen Take Part in ESPN RISE Under Armour All-America Softball Game Tuesday
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 | Softball
Four incoming Gator freshmen softball players took part in ESPN RISE's 2011 Under Armour All-America Softball Game Tuesday evening as part of the ESPN RISE Games, spanning from July 17-20 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
Alyssa Bache (Clearwater, Fla.), Bailey Castro (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.) and Lauren Haeger (Phoenix, Ariz.) are all slated to begin their careers as Gators this fall at Florida after signing national letters of intent in the fall signing period.
Bache, Castro, Damico and Haeger were designated by ESPN RISE as four of the nation's 30 best high school softball players, earning them a spot on this year's Under Armour All-America Softball Game roster.
The event featured players from 14 states and six players that were selected as their state's Gatorade Player of the Year.
Florida's fall signing class, complete with seven signatures to national letters of intent, topped this year's ESPN/RISE Top 10 Recruiting Classes. In addition to Bache, Castro, Damico and Haeger, the Gators signed Sami Fagan (Dunellon, Fla.), Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.) and Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.).
Just a month ago, Fagan – sister of soon-to-be sophomore Kasey Fagan – was named the Gatorade Florida Softball Player of the Year, following the footsteps of Kasey, who was then named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
In addition to being named to the Under Armour All-America Softball roster, Haeger has been busy representing the Red, White and Blue as part of USA Softball's Junior Women's National Team, where she played a series of exhibition games with the Women's National team this summer, including new teammates Michelle Moultrie and Brittany Schutte. Haeger and the USA Junior National Team will swing back into action December 6-17 in Cape Town, South Africa, for the junior Women's World Championship.
Read more about UF's 2011 incoming freshmen here. For the latest on Florida softball through the summer, follow the Gators on twitter @GatorZoneSBall.
