On May 5, Teagan Harzinski of Curwensville traveled to Pittsburgh to try out for the USSSA All-American team.
In Pittsburgh, she joined hundreds of softball players from the northeast region states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, who also made the journey.
Pittsburgh served as host to one of 20 tryouts held throughout eight regions around the country. During tryouts, these young ladies showcased their skills in pitching, infield, batting, throwing, running, overhand velocity, footwork and athletic skills/ability in the hopes to be chosen to a team.
The USSSA All-American Fastpitch Program created an environment where athletes are evaluated by the top players and coaches in softball based on the athlete’s skill level and athleticism.
With a goal to bring athletes together from all over the country to learn, compete and succeed on the softball diamond, the top 26 athletes were selected to represent their respective region to create two teams per age group (9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U) with 13 players on each roster.
The eight regions include the Far West, Northwest, Midwest, Central, Great Lakes, Southeast, Atlantic and Northeast.
On the evening of June 2, while watching the live selection announcement, Teagan learned she was chosen to represent the Northeastern states on the 12U team in the fourth annual USSSA All-American Games.
The games were held at the USSSA Space Coast Complex held in Viera, Fla., on July 22-27. The complex, a 1.3 million square foot, $50 million state-of-the-art facility, offers 15 AstroTurf fields.
Teagan, along with her Northeast team, ended four days of play with a 4-1 record. They won four consecutive games, only losing to a very strong Atlantic team, which went onto win the 12U tournament.
“Playing on the USSSA team was one of the best experiences of my life,” according to Teagan. “It was fun meeting different players from throughout the Northeast and playing on a very competitive team, who also knew how to have fun.
“Our team connected and bonded immediately, and I believe that is why we did so well.”
Teagan is the 13-year-old daughter of Ed and Amy Harzinski. In the fall, Teagan will be a freshman at Curwensville Area High School. Teagan began playing softball at the age of 8 and has been playing travel ball since she was 10.
Teagan was a member of the Clearfield-Curwensville U12 All-Star Softball Team in 2018 and 2019 and is a member of the Blaze 12U Travel Ball Team, based out of the Morrisdale area.