Izzy Dino, a 2018 pitcher from Vancouver, Canada, is in Orlando, Florida, this weekend to find out if playing college softball in the U.S. is a reality. She writes about her experience competing at the Diamond 9 Sun Classic Fall Showcase.  

The 6-foot-2 junior plays locally in Canada for the Richmond Islanders and recently joined the Firecrackers-Barry 18U team in California.

Izzy throws a 64 mph fastball, an offspeed dropball, a dropball, a curve and change-up and is developing a riseball. With her size, levers and armspan, she is starting to getting noticed by colleges everywhere.

Here is her recap of Friday's action where the talented hurler had a perfect day... especially in the circle!

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This morning I was super excited to be back with my Firecracker teammates and heading out to the Seminole Sports Complex. We had an early start and the sun was just rising when we got to the field for our warm up. The field is huge and it is a really nice softball complex.

Our first game was vs a Florida travel team, the JC Fillies 18U . I pitched the last two innings and I allowed no hits, no runs, no walks, and one strikeout.  It was a tough game and we lost but I was really proud of my team for cheering each other on and pulling together.

We had to make some adjustments getting used to the turf. It's a lot warmer than Vancouver, but today is overcast and there's a breeze so hopefully the heat won't be a problem. I'm making sure to drink a lot more water than I do at home.

Our second game was much better! We played the Colorado Crush 18U and won 3-0. We started strong and that was the difference between the first game and the second. My teammate Alyssa Fisher (2017) hit a double. Julianna Barry (2017) and I shared the shutout.
 
Our third game was against the Republica Dominicana and we won 4-1.  The game was tied at 0 for 4 innings and then we had a really great 5th inning and scored 4 runs! My teammate Skylar Shedlock (2017) hit a triple. I pitched 2 innings, allowing no hits, runs, walks, and struck out 4 batters.

It was pretty cool to play a team from another country and we took some pictures together after the game.  

My coach, John Barry, did a great job guiding us through our first day. He encouraged us to make the adjustments we needed earlier and this helped us to refocus and turn the day around.

After the games we went for a team dinner and had an early night because we are back on the field at 7:00 am again tomorrow.

Overall today I pitched nine innings over three games, allowed no hits, no runs and had six strikeouts.

My catchers Jordan Hinckle (2018) and Andrea Castillo (2018) both did a great job calling the games. It felt really great throwing a no-hitter on my first day in Florida!

I am really proud of my performance. So far, I am really enjoying this tournament and playing here in Florida. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and challenging myself even more.

​--- Izzy Dino