GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Summer didn't mean the offseason for most of the women on the Fighting Sioux softball team. The majority of the players played summer ball in their hometowns and had the chance to play and compete with other skilled players.

 "I have played with or against all of the girls on my team at some point," explained newcomer Michelle Frank, a native of Chaska, Minn. "It's great to play with this talented group. All of them are playing either Division I or II next year."

Frank was the primary pitcher for the Minnesota Sting Elite based out of Oakdale, Minn. Her team traveled to tournaments not only around Minnesota, but also Colorado, Chicago, and Las Vegas.

Her trip to Colorado for the Colorado Independence Day Tournament was quite memorable as she broke her nose the Saturday before leaving for the tournament. She had her nose reset while in Boulder, Colo., and then came back the next day to pitch a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings.

"It was the most painful think I have ever experience in my life," Frank said. "The next day I had to go out and pitch. I ended up throwing a no-hitter. I was very proud of myself."

The Minnesota Sting Elite won the state tournament 14-1 in four innings and placed in the top 10 nationally.

Frank was also presented with the Predator Award for outstanding performance on the field at the American Softball Association 18U Nationals last summer. The pitcher will start her first season as a freshman this year for the Fighting Sioux.

Sophomore Erica Younan played her summer for the Chico Starz who are based out of her hometown in Chico, Calif. She pitched and played first base as she finished her fifth summer with the Starz. Younan and the team traveled around the California area and also to Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, Nev.

They wrapped up the summer season at the national tournament, but were unable to crack the top five.

Fighting Sioux catcher Amber Roth, a native of Shoreview, Minn., spent her summer playing for the Mounds View Diamond Devils based out of St. Paul, Minn. The women's league is comprised of players 23-years-old and younger.

"I have played on this team for about six years, but have been playing with these girls since I was 10," said Roth.

Though the Diamond Devils played mostly around the Twin Cities metro area, they ended the season in Rockford, Ill., with a third-place finish at the USSSA Women's World Series.  Roth will be a senior for the Fighting Sioux next year.

Newcomer Jessi St. Marie was the primary catcher this summer for the Minnesota Crush, an Elite Level 18U team based out of Elk River, Minn. The team traveled mostly around Minnesota and played the majority of its games in the metro area.

In her first summer with the Crush, St. Marie has helped her team to several top finishes, including a second-place finish as the MN Vets Invitational in White Bear Lake, Minn. During the tournament, both of the pitches from the Crush boasted grand slams.

Her favorite memory of the summer was beating a team 17-0.

The Crush finished the  summer at the NAFA 18U National tournament in Mounds View, M.N. July 23-26th. St. Marie, a native of Zumbrota, M.N, will start her freshman season with the Sioux this year.

Allison Borden, native of Elma, Wash., played her first summer with the Bulldogs Unlimited NW based out of Olympia, Wash.

"I had played with some of the girls on a previous team, and high school ball," said Borden. "I was once invited to play as a pick-up player, and everyone clicked real well. I've been playing with them ever since."

The Bulldogs traveled on the West coast around California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.

Freshman Cami Bennett played for the NW Bullets Gold this summer, a team based out of Portland, Ore. It was her second year on the team playing as an outfielder. Just this summer, the Bullets traveled to Southern California, Oklahoma, and Colorado for tournaments.

"In California, we played the Magic, which was a pretty good team," said Bennett. "They beat us, but it was an intense game and it was the first time we had seen good competition in a while."

Bennett's season wrapped up at the National Gold Tournament in Oklahoma where the NW Bullets Gold placed fifth.

"For incoming freshmen, travel ball is really important because it helps fine tune their skills before they head to college," head coach Sami Strinz said. "It is exciting because the competition that they face is often times the same competition they see in college.

"I also love that some of our veterans decided to play in the summer as well. It keeps them sharp and gives them another opportunity to enjoy our great game."

- Go Sioux -