Italy’s Laura Vigna leads Junior U19 Softball Team to 2017 WBSC World Championship
Having recently led the Italian Women’s Softball National Team to a second place finish in the 2017 European Baseball Championship with a .529 batting average in 34 at-bats, Laura Vigna now faces even a bigger challenge in the weeklong World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Junior Women’s World Championship (JWWC) beginning July 24, 2107 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
Among 26 countries participating in the 99 game international round-robin tournament, Italy gets the added pressure of being placed in Pool A, which features tourney host and defending 2015 WBSC Junior Women’s World Champion Team USA. Team Italy’s Laura Vigna feels confident that she and her U19 teammates are prepared to battle the world’s finest softball players on foreign turf. She said, “We will be ready to play against strong teams, and we will fight until the last out. We have worked all year on the mental approach to the game. We are not scared or intimidated by another team’s ranking. We are motivated and have the right attitude on and off the field. We will do our best no matter what…”
Born in Chieri (Torino) in 1999, Laura Vigna played baseball for 11 years before crossing over to softball in 2013. She played for La Loggia before being recruited to play for Specchiasol Bussolengo by Team Italy manager Enrico Obletter. He said, “Laura is a player from Settimo near Turin in Piedmonte. She played baseball until she was 14 because she was good at it. I first saw her play at La Loggia as a rookie last season when she was the youngest player in the Italian Softball League (ISL) playoffs. I called her up to play for my Bussolengo team in the ISL, and she quickly became a leader. She is the best hitter for average in the ISL. In addition to being solid hitter who has line drive power and can slap the ball, Laura is a very impressive outfielder.”
Vigna began playing for Team Italy in 2015 when she led the U16 Juniors to the 2015 European Championship. Being the only player on the U19 Junior roster to have recently played on the Italian Women’s Senior National Team in the 2017 European Championship, Laura could not be prouder. She explained, “I’m proud because it was my first time with the senior team. I’m so happy that I could share the experience with the team. I really got along with my teammates. It was special because we supported each other and all helped one another. We were all on the same level.”
Team Italy skipper Enrico Obletter praised Vigna for her recent performance at the Euros and remained optimistic about her potential for greatness. He said, “Laura was the best rookie at 2017 European Championship in Bollate, where she hit over .500 during the tournament. She will become Italy’s best player as long as she stays humble and develops a better athletic frame. Laura has all the tools and above all a great maturity for her age.” Obletter rewarded Vigna for her invaluable team leadership skills by choosing her to be captain of the U19 squad at the upcoming WBSC Junior Women’s World Championship in Florida. In response to being named as the new Team Italy captain, Vigna said: “I will do my job in the best way possible.” Indeed, best is the operative word. For the Italian U19 Juniors to compete with the world’s finest softball players, they must execute with their absolute best. Forza #Italia! #JWWC2017
