Haylee Land looks forward to senior softball season, international tournament

From: tcpalm.com
Florida's Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/jan/13/land-looks-forward-to-senior-seas...

Haylee Land had never heard of USA Athletes International before being invited to join one of their softball teams.

Once she did some research, the former South Fork standout didn't hesitate to accept.

Come June, the senior pitcher at Buffalo will head to Curacao to play with the USAAI in a weeklong international tournament. The trip comes not long after the completion of her senior season and her graduation from Buffalo.

"The person who's in charge of naming the team is friends with people in the (Mid-American Conference) I play in, by word-of-mouth they heard about me," Land said. "I did a lot of research on the program and the coaches and past players. It's a great opportunity to be able to take part in something like this."

Since it is Land's first year with the group, she was placed on a team. If she chooses to keep playing, she'll have her choice of destinations, such as Australia and Europe.

"I think that I'll want to do possibly the Australian and Europe trips with the program as long as I have a good experience," she said.

Land will be in Curacao for eight days. The team will play five of those days.

"Softball basically consumes the time," she said. "But there will be free time to explore the island."

Land pitched in 16 games, including five starts, last spring in her first season at Buffalo. She was 0-5 with an 8.65 ERA. Her best stints were against Ohio and Akron, when she pitched one scoreless inning both times out.

Land, who also played at Indian River State College, begins her senior season in February.

USAAI has been participating in international competition since 1992. Currently, the organization supports 15 sports that compete in 25 countries.