Nicole Mendes, a 2016 pitcher/outfielder who plays for the Diamond Sports Hotshots – Davis and has committed to Oklahoma, is one of the top talents in club ball today but she’s intriguing in many other ways. Rated as the No. 11 prospect overall in the 2016 Hot 100, Nicole is home schooled and doesn’t play high school ball.

In this article, Nicole–who is interning with FloSoftball–tells us about a promising young softball player from another country who’s passionate about the sport and wants to play at a U.S. college…

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Lorena Orescanain is a 19-year-old catcher from Croatia, who against several challenges, never gave up her determination to play softball. Her dream is to play college ball in the United States.

In order to fully understand why this is such a big dream we must start at the beginning…

From a young age Lorena has always been involved in sports. Swimming, handball, and track were her favorites.

The high school she attended (Sports Gymnasium) is a school for athletes. In order to attend the student must not only excel in her sport but in the classroom as well.

Lorena was able to secure a spot at Sports Gymnasium through track. Unfortunately, a few months into the school year she was injured and unable to continue running.

At a point where she needed to find a new sport be forced to attend another school, a friend suggested she try out for softball.

“I said I would try it out even though I had no clue how to play or even what the rules were,” Lorena recalls. “It seemed like it would be easier then track and I would be able to continue my education at the same school.”

Little did she know that decision would take her on an incredible journey and half way around the world.

Learning the Game

In December of 2011 Lorena had her first practice. With no clue how to throw, use her glove, or even how to bat – let alone understanding the rules –she felt like she would never get the hang of softball.

Everyone, she felt, seemed like superstars compared to her. At that moment, she promised herself one day she would become as good as her teammates.

And, eventually, Lorena grew to love the game.

Throughout the rest of her high school career Lorena worked vigorously until finally she found herself not only on the best team in her country, but the captain for the team as well.

All of this was accomplished in just three short years, but it didn’t come without struggles.

Sometimes, Lorena admits, she didn’t want to practice or doubted her ability as a player, but in the end her mindset helped her overcome those moments when her belief in herself waivered.

“I’m always a competitive player,” she explains, “I’m always reaching towards bigger and better goals and never satisfied with the player I am at that moment because I knew I can always get better.”

U.S.A. or Bust

Having reached the top level in her country, Lorena wondered what else could she do to improve and learn more about softball.

Those questions were answered when Lorena’s coaches provided her with the opportunity to travel to the United States for a month and a half.

For two weeks Lorena stayed in Boston with her 16-year-old teammate Helena Novak at a host home. She practiced with the select team Crossfire and had the opportunity to show some young athletes how to play softball.

During her stay in Boston, Lorena was able to have one-on-one with experienced coaches to better her fundamentals and strengthen her mental game.

The then 18-year-old said, “They (coaches) really helped me understand what the game is about.”

After an insightful two weeks on the East Coast Lorena flew to California where she stayed for her remaining month in the United States.

While she was there she attended catching lessons with Jen Schroeder, a former catcher at UCLA and founder of Jen Schro Catching and the Packaged Deal, helped with some camps and clinics and watched the World Cup of Softball!

It was in California that Lorena viewed playing college softball as a real possibility and was inspired by the young players like herself who dedicated their time and effort to playing at an elite level.

Still, after watching some of the top international players and seeing their commitment level, she felt like a novice.

“It wasn’t only their skill level.” Lorena says, “but their strong mental toughness, hustle and wanting to make every play and to crush every ball.”

While she was intimidated, the Croatian native was also motivated. The competitor in her came out. Asking around, Lorena wanted to know if there was a way she could play in the United States.

“I was excited because the same feeling of determination that I felt when I first started playing was there,” she continues. “I told myself, ‘This is what I want. I want to play on a competitive level.’ I hate when people take it for granted. I am not judging them but I cannot play sports for fun. If I play, it is to win.”

At the World Cup Jen Schroeder introduced Lorena to Savana Lloyd, a graduate of Texas A&M and a founder of SL Fastpitch and co-founder of Bellalete. Savana said she would be traveling to Croatia in September and they agreed to keep in touch.

The last week before Lorena traveled back to Croatia, the daughter of the family she was staying with invited Lorena to come help at a clinic. Ironically, it turns out it was Savana’s clinic.

After hearing more of Lorena’s story, Savana offered to help her in her quest for playing softball in college in the United States as well as hosting a clinic for pitchers when she would be in Croatia.

College Aspirations

In September, Savana made the trip to Croatia. For two weeks she stayed at Lorena’s house and the duo discussed college and Savana’s project called Grow the Game (GrowTheGameSoftball.com).

“Savana was—and still is—a huge help towards my dreams for college,” Lorena stats. “She really helped me get started on the project. I in turn was excited to get involved with Grow the Game and help get such a great project going in the right direction.”

Once Savana left Croatia, Lorena continued to research colleges and contact them. She also worked on improving her skills.

Sometimes the doubts and fears of being rejected, of receiving negative feedback, or, worst of all, receiving no feedback got the best of her, but in the end the majority of the colleges responses were positive.

Juggling a job with eight-hour shifts, school and softball, Lorena had to make time to study for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

The TOEFL is a test required for students whose first language is not English to enroll in an American college. It gauges a student’s ability to speak English fluently and, simply, if you cannot pass the test, you cannot go to a college in the United States.

Fundraising

To achieve her dream of playing college softball in the U.S., Lorena realizes she needs to raise $30,000.

The colleges also require students to “submit proof of financial support demonstrating that you or your sponsor can meet the minimum estimated tuition and living expenses.”

The odds are stacked against the aspiring softball player to raise funds in her home country as less than 15 percent of Croatia’s population knows what softball is and, additionally, the average gross salary in the country is $13,812 per person.

Lorena is hoping to get support from the softball community to raise funds to fulfill her dream.

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From writer Nicole Mendes:

“Lorena has overcome so many challenges and I believe with the help of the softball community she can overcome this financial obstacle to reach her dream.

I have experienced firsthand what can happen when we come together. You can immediately impact and change Lorena’s life by donating. She may not live in the same country but the love for softball connects us together.

With the thousands of softball players in the United States if 10,000 donated as little as $6.00 ,which is about the same price as a meal at a fast food joint, they would raise enough money to send Lorena to college.

Here is an opportunity to help a softball sister in need. If you are interested in donating you can contact Lorena or Savana via email.”

• Lorena Orescanain: lorena.orescanin@gmail.com
• Savana Lloyd: savanalloyd@gmail.com