Taylor Russell is back with her teammates and leading them in stretching. She’s making sure they’re all warmed up before running through some softball drills at the Luther Forest Athletic Fields in Malta.

“All right,” said Russell, a senior at Ballston Spa. “Let’s start throwing.”

Russell and her teammates are fine tuning their skills, continuing to get better, even if they’re still a little jet lagged. She is one of eight players from the Capital Region who recently represented Team USA as they faced Italian softball clubs in the European country.

The team had a total of 12 players with three from Central New York and one from Oregon.

“It’s definitely one of a kind. I never even imagined playing over there,” Russell said. “But I’m glad I was able to.”

In 10 days, they played seven exhibition games. The team had a record of 6-1, which included four no hitters. Along the way, the players toured cities like Rome, Venice and Florence.

“The girls that played on the Italian teams spoke a little English and it was a little different, but I actually picked up some words while we were playing,” said Anna Cleary, a senior at Bethlehem.

Picking up not only the language for Cleary, but also some different pitching and hitting mechanics from the Italians. Techniques that she believes will continue to help improve her game.

“It was nice to watch them and see what they do and take away from that into what I’m doing here in the U.S.,” Cleary said.

The players say it meant a lot to put on that USA jersey, representing their country and hometown. Assistant Coach Amanda Fifield says playing in Italy allowed them to help grow the game of softball, while also building friendships with girls from the other teams.

“We exchange gifts with them at the end of the game, sometimes had dinner with the other teams, and learning their language and their culture, I think was the biggest takeaway for us,” Fifield said.

As the team grow closer and continue to make strives on and off the diamond, the team say this is an opportunity they will never forget.

“I’m super grateful for this opportunity and I really love this team,” said Natalia Guthrie, a sophomore at Ballston Spa.