Softball Showcase Snags Heritage High School Multi-Sport Athlete Samantha Joe Nardone

Menifee, CA (PRWEB) August 31, 2007 -- In 10 months, Softball Showcase has grown from a single player blog to becoming the home of more than 1,900 competitive fastpitch softball players in the United States. The rapid growth is attributed to its ability to attract top talent such as Menifee's multi-sport athlete Samantha Nardone.

Menifee is a small town tucked into the calm hills of southern California's Inland Empire. While it is known locally more for its lakes than its sports, the town recently made some noise when it comes to softball. The prestigious American Softball Association (ASA) held a major tournament there in June that attracted several of the top junior teams in the nation.

On fields throughout Menifee were 14/15-year old girls throwing 60mph fastballs to the future stars of perhaps UCLA, Arizona, Texas and Florida. These competitive student athletes were hitting, bunting, slapping and stealing their way around the bases in the hopes of clinching a trip to the National Championship.

One of the players taking the field that weekend literally had to walk across the street to get into the fray. Samantha Joe Nardone ("Sammy"), a local Menifee resident and multi-sport athlete at Heritage High School, played first base for the competitive Strike Force Softball team led by head coach Jim Jensen.

It might have been a short walk for Sammy, but she knows that excelling in sports isn't how far away you are willing to travel, but how far you are willing to push yourself to be the best. For Sammy, there's no limit.

Like many of the top athletes on Softball Showcase, Sammy leverages the best resources available to help her continuously improve. She has worked with the top softball experts in the country including the legendary coach Howard Kobata, nationally-recognized hitting instructor Steve Englishbey and Mark Eldridge. She also gets a regular dose of fitness and cross-training with former NCAA Champion and three-time Olympian Lisa Misipeka, and has trained with Ms. Fitness USA competitor and nutritionist Tricia Dallman.

Dallman says of Nardone, "Sammy's athletic drive surpasses any young woman I have worked with before."

The hard work is paying off. While Sammy plays competitive softball 12 months a year, she looks for opportunities to round out her athletic ability. Recently returned from the Triple Crown World Series in Park City, Utah, Sammy went straight into volleyball tryouts. Although she had never played organized volleyball, her determination and skill landed her a spot on the high school team. Her coach remarked, "Sammy is a tough athlete, she sets a great example of hard work, teamwork and more importantly, she is a great student."

As the Inland Empire continues to send more and more athletes to top universities, Samantha Nardone is one to watch. You can contact Sammy by visiting her profile on SoftballShowcase.com.

About Softball Showcase

Softball Showcase is an online community of competitive softball players ranging in age from youth through high school. Players create free online profiles to showcase their softball talents, achievements and goals. Players can upload pictures, post news and garner endorsements. Softball Showcase is visited by over 275 colleges and universities and has over 100,000 player views each month.

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