This weekend in Irvine, Calif., 27 talented college and high school players will participate in the tryouts for one of 17 spots on the 2015 USA Softball Junior Women’s (19-Under) National Team (JWNT).

Here’s a write-up we did in early December listing the high school attendees which includes eight seniors and two juniors.

One of those 2016’s is Alissa Dalton, a shortstop/third baseman from Cypress, Texas, who is committed to the Univ. of Oklahoma and is a member of the Full Count Softball 2016 Hot 100.

Alissa plays on the Diamond Sports Hotshots with Nicole Mendes, who is also a 2016 Hot 100 honoree headed to Oklahoma and Mendes—a contributing writer to Full Count Softball—profiles her teammate in advance of this weekend’s Jr. National Team tryouts.

Here is Nicole’s report…

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Major Surgery

This weekend is a dream come true for Alissa Dalton, who will take the field in an effort to make the Jr. National Team, which in and of itself would be a significant stepping stone towards her lifelong goal of making the U.S. Women’s Softball National Team.

But the talented Texas almost had her sports career shut down as a toddler when she had major surgery to overcome a serious heart defect.

When she was just six weeks old, Alissa was diagnosed with an Atrial Septal Defect, which basically meant she did not have a wall between the top two chambers of her heart resulting in her having three heart chambers instead of the usual four.

In September of 2001, the three-year-old Alissa underwent open heart surgery and doctors said that if she and her family had waited any longer to have the surgery her heart would have been damaged permanently greatly reducing any chance she had to play sports.

Healing faster than the average two week remission period, Alissa was up and moving in less than a week and nearly gave her mom her own heart problems when she found the toddler jumping from her toy chest to her bed less than two weeks after the major operation.

Closer to Her Dream

Fast forward to today and Alissa has significantly altered her workouts and diet in preparation for this weekend’s exciting opportunity.

“Since I played softball it’s always been my dream to play on the U.S. team,” the junior admits. “I would record them and watch the games year round.”

When she was 10 years old, Alissa watched in person the U.S. Olympic team play the University of Houston and field legendary players like Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Natasha Watley, Stacy Nuveman and Caitlin Lowe.

After the game Alissa went and got every member of the Olympic team to sign her program and sheepishly confesses how she included herself with all these great players.

“I had the program in my room with all the 2008 softball Olympians and I put my face on the book and signed it,” she laughs.

As a little girl dreaming big, Alissa had her bedroom walls decorated with USA softball gear and when she was at the 14U level, the infielder researched what the requirements were to join the National team, printed them out and put them on her door as an everyday reminder of her goals.

That drive was rewarded when earlier this year she received the e-mail notifying her she had been selected to attend the Jr. National Team tryout.

“I thought it was spam, a fake,” she recalls. “I showed my mom the email and told her someone was spamming me. Then I saw the list on Twitter and freaked out and started jumping up and down.”

Tryout Preparation

Grateful for the opportunity she has been presented with Alissa also recognizes the increased responsibilities and expectations. Preparing herself mentally and physically she is ready to fight for a spot.

Her workout schedule entails an hour of training every other day with Heidi Johnson, a former softball player from 1994-95 on the National team, with workouts focusing on a few specific areas like her arms and increasing her speed on the bases. She simultaneously plays varsity basketball and feels she’s in the best shape of her life.

But her workout routine is not the only part of her game experiencing major change. Alissa’s diet has undergone a tremendous transformation, too, as she’s eating six small meals a day consisting mainly of chicken, fruits, and veggies. Her food habits are strictly monitored.

“I miss regular food sometimes,” Alissa laughs, “but it’s all worth it in the end.”

The underclassman regularly goes to her high school field to take grounders and hits into a net in her garage.

“I think I have hit and fielded more balls over the past two months than I ever had in my whole life!”

On the field, Alissa is a strong leader who sets the example her teammates follow.

“There are some players out there that think about everything and I’m more of a ‘go with the flow’ type of person,” she says about her on-field leadership.

One strength that earned her the Jr. National Team tryout invitation is her stellar fielding skills at shortstop and 3rd base.

Alissa can also step up to the plate and do a lot of damage in multiple ways, from crushing the ball over the fence to slapping a dribbler to shortstop to tapping the ball into play with a bunt and beating it out with her speed.

A five-tool player, she is just as lethal on the bases, frequently stealing on catchers.

While the odds may be steep that she’ll make one of the limited spots with many players two years older than her and having a year of college competition under her belt, she’s appreciative of the opportunity no matter what happens.

“I have no idea if I am going to make the team, but I know who I am and I know I have the talent to make it,” she says confidently. “But just having the opportunity to see what is going on even if I don’t make the team, the fact that I get to go is pretty awesome.”

Trip of a Lifetime

On Friday, Alissa Dalton will be flying to the West Coast for a chance to fulfill her dream. Once Alissa’s plane lands, she will be taken to the hotel where she will prepare for the action to begin on Saturday.

Her parents, Chris and Jennifer Dalton, will go watch along with her 18U Gold coach Tammie Davis, and the heads of the Hotshot organization, Nathan and Stacey Nelson.

Alissa already has the itinerary for the weekend memorized: Saturday morning the players will eat breakfast at the hotel and then be shuttled on a bus to the fields. They will go back to the hotel for lunch and a brief break before heading back to the fields to finish the try out for the day. After the long day the girls are allowed to do make their own plans for dinner. The schedule is the same for Sunday.

Just hours before she sets off for the biggest trip of her lifetime so far, Alissa is hoping her Texas-sized confidence, talent and passion carries over this weekend into her play in Southern California.

Asked what advice she’d give other young players trying to follow their dreams like she has, Alissa’s words of wisdom sum up her journey as well: “Never give up and follow your heart.”

— Nicole Mendes