Iliopoulos Set for Second Stint With Greek National Softball Team
Jul 18 | Softball
Rising junior leads Greece into U-22 European Championships
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (July 18, 2018) – A dream come true continues for rising junior Anyssa Iliopoulos of Rutgers softball as the Scarlet Knight gets set to rejoin the Greek National Team for a second time.
Iliopoulos, who led Greece to a sixth-place performance out of 23 teams last summer at the European Championships in Italy, returns to the Hellas for the U-22 European Championships in Slovakia from July 23-28.
"It's a huge honor to be playing with the Greek National Team again," said Iliopoulos, whose grandparents were born in Greece. "It was so much fun last year to play against the best talent in Europe and grow in my Greek culture, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it again."
In Italy last summer, Greece was one of the newest countries in the tournament with the national program forming in 2016. Following a 17th place finish at the 2016 World Softball Championships, the Hellas added a host of talent, including Iliopoulos, and shocked the world by finishing in sixth in a deep and loaded field.
Iliopoulos, with one season of collegiate experience under her belt, paced the Greek attack with team-leading .419 batting average in 11 starts at third base. She also posted team highs with 13 hits, 11 RBIs, two doubles, two triples and a home run during the tourney. Greece picked up victories over Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden during the successful run.
"It's a dream come true to be able to play this game in different parts of the world," Iliopoulos said. "Our goal is to win this tournament. After last year's success, I think everyone is really eager to get started. This tournament will help us gain more experience in getting ready for the Olympic Qualifier next year."
With softball reentering the Summer Olympic Games in 2020, Greece will vie for one of the coveted spots at the 2019 qualifying tournament. Iliopoulos and Greece are utilizing the European Championships as preparation for that potentially history-making tournament. They will battle Great Britain, Croatia, Ireland and host Slovakia in Group A of the tournament.
Iliopoulos looks to carry momentum into international play after closing the 2018 season at RU on a hot streak. The sophomore hit in six of her final seven games, including a career day at LIU-Brooklyn in the Scarlet Knights' final non-conference game of the year. Iliopoulos hit a grand slam during a seventh-inning comeback and added a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth as part of a three-hit, five-RBI evening. She finished the season with 22 hits, 17 RBIs, four home runs and six stolen bases in seven attempts.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers softball, follow the program on Twitter (@RUSoftball) and Instagram (@ru_softball). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RutgersSB). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -
Iliopoulos, who led Greece to a sixth-place performance out of 23 teams last summer at the European Championships in Italy, returns to the Hellas for the U-22 European Championships in Slovakia from July 23-28.
"It's a huge honor to be playing with the Greek National Team again," said Iliopoulos, whose grandparents were born in Greece. "It was so much fun last year to play against the best talent in Europe and grow in my Greek culture, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it again."
In Italy last summer, Greece was one of the newest countries in the tournament with the national program forming in 2016. Following a 17th place finish at the 2016 World Softball Championships, the Hellas added a host of talent, including Iliopoulos, and shocked the world by finishing in sixth in a deep and loaded field.
Iliopoulos, with one season of collegiate experience under her belt, paced the Greek attack with team-leading .419 batting average in 11 starts at third base. She also posted team highs with 13 hits, 11 RBIs, two doubles, two triples and a home run during the tourney. Greece picked up victories over Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden during the successful run.
"It's a dream come true to be able to play this game in different parts of the world," Iliopoulos said. "Our goal is to win this tournament. After last year's success, I think everyone is really eager to get started. This tournament will help us gain more experience in getting ready for the Olympic Qualifier next year."
With softball reentering the Summer Olympic Games in 2020, Greece will vie for one of the coveted spots at the 2019 qualifying tournament. Iliopoulos and Greece are utilizing the European Championships as preparation for that potentially history-making tournament. They will battle Great Britain, Croatia, Ireland and host Slovakia in Group A of the tournament.
Iliopoulos looks to carry momentum into international play after closing the 2018 season at RU on a hot streak. The sophomore hit in six of her final seven games, including a career day at LIU-Brooklyn in the Scarlet Knights' final non-conference game of the year. Iliopoulos hit a grand slam during a seventh-inning comeback and added a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth as part of a three-hit, five-RBI evening. She finished the season with 22 hits, 17 RBIs, four home runs and six stolen bases in seven attempts.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers softball, follow the program on Twitter (@RUSoftball) and Instagram (@ru_softball). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RutgersSB). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -
Wednesday, May 27
Sunday, May 03
Monday, April 27
Monday, April 27
