Barely 22 years old, Rachel Garcia is already building an impressive softball resume. With the Olympics and her senior season at UCLA coming in 2020, she only looks to build that resume a bit more. You can see all of Rachel's accomplishments on her UCLA biography or her Team USA page.
When I get my media credential for Team USA's training camp in Rosemont last week, I had to make decisions on my interview requests. Obviously, I would have liked to interview the entire team, but time constraints made that impossible. As you saw over the last few days, I got interviews with Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman. I wanted two of the best pitchers ever an I got them. When looking at the rest of the roster, I saw some great names. I picked Rachel, based on her youth and her recent accomplishments.
Rachel's UCLA Bruins beat Oklahoma to win the 2019 Women's College World Series. She earned many awards and accolades last season and certainly was lanuched into the national spotlight. On Team USA, she is gaining world wide notoriety.
In the dugout, I encountered a soft-spoken, articulate young lady. As we talked, I kept thinking about how much talent she had and how much work she has done. She has earned everything. I wonder how it felt at that age? Did she even realize what she has done and is in the process of doing? If not now, she certainly will someday.
It was a real pleasure meeting and talking to Rachel. It was even better watching her practice, warm up and play over the weekend. I thanked her again when I saw her after the weekend's games. She was gracious and appreciative.
This concludes my round of interviews with Team USA. While the rest of the team would have been great choices, too, I feel very good about the three I got. Cat, Monica and Rachel are three o the best and are three wonderful people. I feel honored to have been a part of this weekend.
Thank you to the Cat, Monica and Rachel, Team USA Managing Director of Communications Codi Warren, the entire Team USA organization, NPF Commissioner Cheri Kempf, Chicago Bandits GM Toni Calmeyn and Assistant GM Jourdan Skihra for facilitating these interviews and all of my coverage.
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