BY KELLIE TAYLOR
Enquirer contributor
When Heather Baglier traveled to Wadsworth, Ohio for the National Softball Association World Cup team tryouts last week, she knew she would be competing against many seasoned veterans.
But Baglier, who just turned 16, was surprised to see that of the 60 competitors, she was by far the youngest.
"We thought it was going to be 18 and under and when we got there we were shocked. It was all grown women," Baglier said. "One woman even said she had a daughter my age."
Baglier quickly put the age issue behind her and concentrated on the game she has played since she was eight years old. The second baseman - outfielder was especially strong at the plate, where she faced some of the top-rated Division I college pitchers in the country.
"I felt my offense was my strongest point," Baglier said. "I think that's what pulled me through."
Baglier was one of 29 players chosen for the team which will compete in the Indoor World Cup, to be held Jan. 16-18 in Lyon, France. They will compete against teams from France, Italy, Denmark, Spain and Germany in the tournament.
Baglier learned about the tryouts from an umpire who worked one of her summer league games with the Cincinnati Sliders.
Baglier decided the tryouts might be a good opportunity to prepare for her future in softball.
"Obviously, my main goal is to get a scholarship," said Baglier, who played on Sycamore's junior varsity team last spring. "Playing up a level will make me strive to get better."
"We're very proud of her," Heather's father, Sam, said. Sam, who coached softball for 23 years, will work with Heather in the weight room and batting cages this fall to prepare her for the trip.
BASKETBALL:
Two Indiana high school players have verbally committed to attend Xavier University and play basketball for coach Melanie Balcomb in the 1999-2000 season.
Kristen Lowry, a 6-foot-2 forward from Logansport High School, and Amy Waugh, a 5-foot-6 point guard from Homestead H.S., were both members of the 1997 AAU national championship-winning Indiana's Finest Black Cats. They made the decision to attend XU after visiting with coaches and players earlier in the month and attending a Musketeer game last season.
"They play an up-tempo style and run the ball," Lowry said. "I like that kind of basketball."
TENNIS:
The Queen City Racquet Club will host the USTA national indoor championship for players 60 and over, which begins Tuesday and ends Sunday.
Players from across the country will travel to Cincinnati for the tournament, including Dodo Cheney, who holds a record 288 national titles.
Local players entered are Diane Todd, Betsy Gotwals, Bonnie Johnson and Jackie Foreman.
Matches are held 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is free.
NEW COACH:
Northern Kentucky University has named Kathy Bown head softball coach for the 1999 season.
Bown, a 1988 graduate of NKU and former Fairfield star, served as an assistant coach last season and replaces Mary Biermann.
TUMBLERS:
Members of the Vandergriff Gymnastics Team won two gold medals at the AAU Junior Olympics in Hampton Roads, Va.
Lindsey Riehl finished first on the trampoline and teammate Phil Ritter took first on the double mini trampoline.
Teammates Katie Henlein, Jessica LaSita, Lindsey Lancaster, Sara Cox, Sarah Doerflein and Tracy Lewis also placed in the top three in their events.
Henlein and Ritter are both members of the U.S Tumbling Association national team.
Riehl, LaSita, Lancaster and Wilke are members of the AAU national trampoline and tumbling team.
