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Harre gets a taste of the big time

When Amy Harre put on her USA jersey, she wasn't just representing a team.

She represented her hometown of Nashville where she got her start in softball, she represented SIU and she represented the only player on the team from the Midwest.

Amy Harre helped USA Elite take the gold at the First World University Softball Championships in Plant City, Fla., Oct. 27 through Oct. 31.

Harre pitched in two games, first against the Netherlands.

She pitched for six innings, allowing just four hits and no runs. She also stuck out six batters and walked three.

Harre relieved Kami Keiter from Oklahoma in the third inning against Guatemala, striking out three, and allowed no hits, runs or walks.

She took the wins for both games and committed no errors.

Harre said being a part of the USA Team is a feeling that she can't really describe and was glad to have had the chance to play.

"If I went down there and didn't get to pitch an inning, it was an opportunity to wear red, white and blue that thousands of other girls in the country will never have the opportunity to do so," Harre said.

Harre looks to take her career even further by accepting the invitation to the National Team Camp at California in January. There, chosen players will be invited to another tryout in June and then selected for the Olympic and USA national teams.

"It's just a long process, and you never know what's going to happen," Harre said.

But gaining experience at the national level, Harre believes she will go into the national tryouts with more confidence.

"I feel more comfortable because I know these girls, and I have played with them," Harre said. "I have a relationship with the team and the coaches, instead of going in and being even more of a stranger."

Being one of the only players without a teammate from her school, Harre said the team atmosphere was a little different than what she is used to.

In addition, she was the only player representing the Midwest, with most players from the California and Arizona.

"It was different, but by the end, I felt right at home and that they were my teammates," Harre said.

Harre wasn't the only one who put in the extra time and effort to compete in last week's tournament. Fellow SIU teammates Amanda Clifton and Lauren Rooney caught for Harre before she left for the tournament.

She said without the team's support, her coaches and her parents, she wouldn't have been able to do it.

"I know without them...I wouldn't have been as prepared as I was," Harre said. "I just hope that the girls back here understand that I appreciate everything that they have done for me."

Harre worked with the coaches during practices, including the Olympic pitching coach who drove down to Florida to watch her and the team. During practices, Harre worked on all of her pitches, especially her change up.

"It was a very good opportunity to get into the system and see how the national teams work with rules and regulations and to see what you got for the future," Harre said.

Harre said she hopes this experience will be a good stepping-stone into her future softball career.

"I learned a lot by being around those girls," Harre said. "It definitely makes you want to go to that level."