Iliopoulos Recaps European Championship with Greek National Softball Team
Jul 10 | Softball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - It was a dream come true the day Anyssa Iliopoulos got the news she was selected to the Greek Softball National Team. As one of the first seven players added to the roster, Iliopoulos represent Greece at the European Softball Championship from June 25 to July 1, 2017 in Bollate, Italy.
"Playing for the Greek National Team has been one of the greatest experiences I've ever had," said Iliopoulous, a rising sophomore on the Rutgers softball team. "It was so nice getting to know great softball players who shared the same heritage as me. Playing against different countries was like nothing I could've imagined. It's amazing to see how much great talent there is internationally."
The Greek National Team finished sixth out of 23 countries, the highest finish for the squad since 2004. The team picked up wins over Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden. Iliopoulos was a prime factor in the result, posting a team-leading .419 batting average in 11 starts at third base. She also added team highs with 13 hits, 11 RBIs, two doubles, two triples and a home run.
"We were proud to come together and finish with this kind of result," said Iliopoulos. "A lot of these teams have played together for years and have years of experience. Our team was one of the youngest out there. Although we would've hoped to finish higher, I think we played very well and had a lot of fun."
As her first time out of the country, the trip was even more meaningful to Iliopoulos. A native of Greece, as her father's parents were born in the country, she was proud to represent the country and was even more excited to do so in Italy. The other half of her heritage happens to be Italian.
"The European Championships were held in Bollate, Italy, which is a city right next to Milan and the week before we trained in Rimini, Italy," said Iliopoulous. "This trip was very cool for me because I'm also half Italian, so I got to learn about both sides of my family while playing for Greece in Italy. We got to do some sightseeing. The architecture out there is unbelievable. It's so beautiful! The food was also amazing. We couldn't get enough gelato!"
While the squad got right into practice the day after they arrived, there was still plenty of time set aside to bond. The team took numerous trips to the beach right near the hotel and participated in various team-building activities during training camp. Additionally, a significant part of the experience was the squad's chance to work with kids in the community.
"One of my favorite parts of this trip was working with the kids out there," said Iliopoulos. "We did two camps in the area that we trained as a way to give back to that community and it was something I'll never forget. Working with those kids and meeting kids at the tournament reminded me why I fell in love with this game."
With a game that shows no boundries between different heritages and cultures, the experience of seeing all these nations come together for a common goal was one that resonated with Iliopoulos.
"When it came to softball, the language wasn't an issue. Everyone knew the game. Even when we were working with the little kids who didn't know any English, they could understand us as we would demonstrate it to them," explained Iliopoulos.
"Though it would seem like it, it wasn't that big of an issue. Playing at the international level was unbelievable. All those women love this game and they play with so much heart and passion. It was cool to see the magnitude of this sport internationally."
While her own years in the sport aided her connection with others, it also helped that Iliopoulos learns of her Greek heritage and the language by interacting with her family at home. The Greek culture has become very important to the rising sophomore.
"Traditional Greek food is VERY good. My grandma always cooks different dishes. And I love how everything is so passionately celebrated," said Iliopoulos.
"The language is very hard to pick up on. My dad, uncles, and grandma all speak Greek, so I always try to learn words and phrases. We're very family oriented, and that's something that I love. I learned the Greek National Anthem so that I could sing it before our games. I'm very happy that I got to grow in my Greek culture on this trip."
A full list of Greece's results can be found here.
(7/10/2017) Anyssa Iliopolous - Greek National Team
"Playing for the Greek National Team has been one of the greatest experiences I've ever had," said Iliopoulous, a rising sophomore on the Rutgers softball team. "It was so nice getting to know great softball players who shared the same heritage as me. Playing against different countries was like nothing I could've imagined. It's amazing to see how much great talent there is internationally."
The Greek National Team finished sixth out of 23 countries, the highest finish for the squad since 2004. The team picked up wins over Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden. Iliopoulos was a prime factor in the result, posting a team-leading .419 batting average in 11 starts at third base. She also added team highs with 13 hits, 11 RBIs, two doubles, two triples and a home run.
"We were proud to come together and finish with this kind of result," said Iliopoulos. "A lot of these teams have played together for years and have years of experience. Our team was one of the youngest out there. Although we would've hoped to finish higher, I think we played very well and had a lot of fun."
As her first time out of the country, the trip was even more meaningful to Iliopoulos. A native of Greece, as her father's parents were born in the country, she was proud to represent the country and was even more excited to do so in Italy. The other half of her heritage happens to be Italian.
"The European Championships were held in Bollate, Italy, which is a city right next to Milan and the week before we trained in Rimini, Italy," said Iliopoulous. "This trip was very cool for me because I'm also half Italian, so I got to learn about both sides of my family while playing for Greece in Italy. We got to do some sightseeing. The architecture out there is unbelievable. It's so beautiful! The food was also amazing. We couldn't get enough gelato!"
While the squad got right into practice the day after they arrived, there was still plenty of time set aside to bond. The team took numerous trips to the beach right near the hotel and participated in various team-building activities during training camp. Additionally, a significant part of the experience was the squad's chance to work with kids in the community.
"One of my favorite parts of this trip was working with the kids out there," said Iliopoulos. "We did two camps in the area that we trained as a way to give back to that community and it was something I'll never forget. Working with those kids and meeting kids at the tournament reminded me why I fell in love with this game."
With a game that shows no boundries between different heritages and cultures, the experience of seeing all these nations come together for a common goal was one that resonated with Iliopoulos.
"When it came to softball, the language wasn't an issue. Everyone knew the game. Even when we were working with the little kids who didn't know any English, they could understand us as we would demonstrate it to them," explained Iliopoulos.
"Though it would seem like it, it wasn't that big of an issue. Playing at the international level was unbelievable. All those women love this game and they play with so much heart and passion. It was cool to see the magnitude of this sport internationally."
While her own years in the sport aided her connection with others, it also helped that Iliopoulos learns of her Greek heritage and the language by interacting with her family at home. The Greek culture has become very important to the rising sophomore.
"Traditional Greek food is VERY good. My grandma always cooks different dishes. And I love how everything is so passionately celebrated," said Iliopoulos.
"The language is very hard to pick up on. My dad, uncles, and grandma all speak Greek, so I always try to learn words and phrases. We're very family oriented, and that's something that I love. I learned the Greek National Anthem so that I could sing it before our games. I'm very happy that I got to grow in my Greek culture on this trip."
A full list of Greece's results can be found here.
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