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While many college students and recent high school graduates spent the summer at the beach or working jobs, many of the members of the Virginia Tech softball team, along with several of the incoming freshmen, spent the summer on the diamond working hard to get better for the upcoming season.

Here’s a brief rundown of who did what this summer:

• Freshmen Lauren Gaskill and Logan Spaw played in Under Armour All-America game on July 18 in Orlando, Fla, in a game that was nationally televised on ESPN.

• Gaskill and freshman Kylie McGoldrick finished second in 18U Gold National Tournament as part of the Newtown Rock travel ball squad, falling to Team Florida in the championship game. Their team was undefeated in the Gold qualifier in Virginia Beach and in two years (fall and summer), their team recorded a 170-1-5 record.

• Freshman Kelsey Mericka (18 Gold) played for the Atlanta Vipers (Berry) squad, posting a 62-22-2 record and qualified for the ASA Gold Nationals in San Diego. The team finished tied for 25th out of 64 teams, was the ASA South Atlantic Region champions, took third at the Louisville Slugger Independence Tournament, a national schedule of exposure tournament.

• Junior Courtney Liddle, freshman Bailey Liddle, sophomore Dani Anderson, senior Marra Hvozdovic and junior Bkaye Smith played for the Wagner Bandits while junior Betty Rose and former players Misty Hall and Whitney Davis played for the Virginia Pride. Both teams are part of the UCBL league. USSSA has formed an Elite College and Beyond League (UCBL) to serve as a “minor league” support system for the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league.

• In that league Courtney Liddle, Rose, Hall and Davis were named ASA All-Americans.

• Rose, Hall and Davis’ squad won the Commonwealth Games, the UCBL Qualifier and finished second in ASA East Nationals. The Liddles, Anderson, Hvozdovic and Smith’s squad finished third in the Commonwealth Games, second in the UCBL Qualifier, and fourth in ASA East Nationals.

• Freshman Jessica Rappe played for New Jersey Breakers Gold, a squad that played in the Champions Cup in Irvine, Calif. The team also qualified and played in Gold Nationals in San Diego.

• Spaw played for KC Zephyrs Gold, freshman Isabella Corrao played for Team Long Island and sophomore Laura Wolff played for Wagners Elite, playing in the 23U Nationals in Salem, Va.

The squad has started individual practices and will begin team practice in a few weeks. The fall and spring schedules, along with the 2012 roster/bios are online, so be sure to check them out. The first chance to see the new team will come the weekend of Sept. 24 when the Hokies play four games in Botetourt at the Botetourt Sports Complex.

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Softball).