Team Italy’s Amanda Fama is an international softball fan favorite

Recently inducted into the and awarded Best Hitter of the Super 6 Softball Tournament in the Netherlands, Team Italy and MKF Bollate shortstop Amanda Fama came up just short of winning the 2018 Italian Softball Series Championship against Bussolengo. Reminiscent of her 2012 season when the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Softball All-American and the Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year was just shy of winning a U.S. national championship with Irvine, California’s Concordia University Eagles, Amanda Fama was simply a step away from becoming an Italian champion with Bollate. Despite the disappointment of being second best to Bussolengo in Italy, Bollate to its credit won the Women’s European Cup Winners Cup Championship title in the Netherlands on August 25, 2018.

Amanda Fama was born to perform as she began to play the game at age four alongside her sister, who also competed on the U.S. collegiate level. But perhaps her greatest inspiration to play professionally was her cousin, Team USA 2008 Olympic silver medalist Lauren Lappin, who had previously played at Stanford University and in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League.

After finishing her celebrated college softball career, Amanda Fama ventured abroad to discover her Italian roots while playing for La Loggia from 2013 to 2015. She returned to America to play professionally for two years with the former NPF League’s Scrap Yard organization near Houston, Texas. Flying across the Atlantic, Amanda Fama played for Nuoro on the island of Sardinia before eventually landing in the Milanese neighborhood of Bollate. Upon receiving her Italian citizenship, she was invited by Team Italy manager Enrico Obletter to join the Azzurre women's softball squad. Amanda Fama has been the starting shortshop for Team Italy ever since.

At the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship in February, Team Italy (4-4) made it into the playoffs and took seventh place behind USA (10-0), host Japan (9-2), Canada (8-3), Australia (6-4), Puerto Rico (6-3), and Mexico (6-3). Against the game's elite in the international 16-country tournament, Amanda Fama went 6-for-23 (.261 batting average) with two home runs three RBI and three runs scored.

In September the Team Italy women's softball squad played in the Super 6 Tournament in the Netherlands. After four consecutive wins over Great Britain, the Netherlands, Russia, and Greece, Team Italy (4-1) placed second in the Super 6 competition. Amanda Fama was awarded Best Hitter of the Super 6 Softball Tournament. She ranked first for Team Italy in batting average (.636), on-base percentage (.692), slugging percentage (1.455), hits (7), doubles (2), triples (2), runs scored (5), sacrifice bunts (2) and total bases (16) while coming in a close second in home runs (1).

Rather than living in the shadow of her silver medal-winning cousin, Amanda Fama desires to come into the light by winning a medal of her own in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as a contributing member of the Team Italy women's softball squad. Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti