While teams from across the United States traveled far and long to play in the 2017 ASA/USA Softball girls' fastpitch tournament in Chattanooga this week, none traveled farther than the Washington Ladyhawks.
The Ladyhawks organization is based in Puyallup, Wash., which is a little more than 2,500 miles from Chattanooga. The 14-under team is made up of players from across Washington state as well as one from Oregon, and some travel up to two hours to practice every week.
And while many teams in the surrounding area of Washington qualified for a multitude of Premier Girls Fastpitch national tournaments, the Ladyhawks find that the Amateur Softball Association (now under the brand of USA Softball) gives something the PGF cannot.
"We have always liked ASA nationals because it gives the girls a chance to see different parts of the country, and especially if they are maybe looking at a college down here," Ladyhawks manager Rene Hardy said. "They can come down and see if they really like this area and what it's really like."
The Ladyhawks qualified for the national tournament during Father's Day weekend, as they won the Seattle Metro tournament. That had been a long time coming and was a big accomplishment for the program.
"(The Seattle Metro) has been an elusive tournament for us to win," Hardy said. "It's the earliest local one for us to win to qualify and we finally won it this year, so we were very excited about that."
The trip became more than just a chance to play games at The Summit of Softball complex and Warner Park in Chattanooga. The Ladyhawks used it to visit cities and colleges in the region, including the University of Tennessee campuses in Knoxville and Chattanooga.
And since the Ladyhawks organization has a reputation to uphold, coaches and players were not going to let a moment in recruiting pass them by.
"Our recruiting organization is the number one recruiting organization in the Northwest, so pretty much if you want to play college softball and you come to us, you are going to get recruited," Hardy said.
Sondra Richards is the mother of twins on the 14-under team, both of whom can see themselves playing at Tennessee or other schools in the Southeast, she said.
"With this organization, it runs so meticulously and they are so organized and know so many colleges and know the coaches and have good relationships with them, that I find that you just kind of fall into the pattern of what they want us to do," Richards said. "They are just so supportive and helpful that I think this organization has most of (the athletes) go to college and play."
However, the trip hasn't just been about softball and business. For instance, Richards' girls had their 14th birthday after traveling to Tennessee, and a trip to Nashville was how they wanted to celebrate it.
"We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and walked around and saw a lot of the live music," Richards said. "It's just so different than Seattle. Everyone is so nice; they are just so friendly and kind."
Brittney Hyland and Fran Robins, a mother and grandmother of one of the Ladyhawks, also have taken time to travel around the area as well as getting the full effect of the Southern hospitality of the Volunteer State. Robins said Tennessee was the friendliest state she ever has been to, and Hyland said the area offers so much for everyone.
"We have been having a great time," Hyland said. "I think there are a lot of attractions that are near by to check out and see the history of the area."
Above all, of course, the trip is for softball and the opportunities that could arise for the athletes for traveling more than 2,500 miles.
"There are so many more colleges east of the Mississippi than there are on the West Coast," Hardy said. "It's really harder to get into the West Coast (schools) sometimes, and there are just a lot more opportunities east."
But whether the girls can see themselves in the Southeast like Richards' girls or staying in the Pacific Northwest like Hyland's daughter hopes, the Ladyhawks organization gives them a great chance of getting college scholarships somewhere.
Contact Tori McElhaney at sports@timesfreepress.com.