By Jay Cook
Of all the places that Tess Griswold thought softball could take her, Ireland surely was not on the list.
Yet after recognizing her deep Irish heritage, the Red Bank Catholic Class of 2016 graduate can add this next achievement onto her resumè on the softball diamond.
Griswold, who was a four-year varsity catcher for the Caseys during her career, is the newest member of Softball Ireland, the fast-pitch softball organization based in Ireland that plays internationally.
Of all the places that Tess Griswold thought softball could take her, Ireland surely was not on the list.
Yet after recognizing her deep Irish heritage, the Red Bank Catholic Class of 2016 graduate can add this next achievement onto her resumè on the softball diamond.
Griswold, who was a four-year varsity catcher for the Caseys during her career, is the newest member of Softball Ireland, the fast-pitch softball organization based in Ireland that plays internationally.
“I actually didn’t even know that I was eligible, but both of my mom’s parents are from Ireland,” said Griswold, a freshman softball player for Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
Discovering the possibility of playing internationally came by chance through a conversation with a teammate’s mother on her longtime travel team, the Jersey Intensity. That teammate, Francesca Torraca, is a member of the Puerto Rico’s national softball team.
Discovering the possibility of playing internationally came by chance through a conversation with a teammate’s mother on her longtime travel team, the Jersey Intensity. That teammate, Francesca Torraca, is a member of the Puerto Rico’s national softball team.
After realizing that both of her mother’s parents hail from Ireland, Griswold reached out to the organizers at Softball Ireland to see if she had the possibility to join the team. It was not long before she heard back from the association’s president, Colum Lavery.
“I talked with the president of the softball association all about my application to become a citizen, and they helped it get pushed through,” said Griswold. “It usually takes a lot longer, but it only took me six months.”
Don’t be mistaken, not everyone can just sign up and play international softball. Griswold was a top-notch Shore Conference player while at Red Bank Catholic; she had a career batting average of .419 and accompanied that with 16 homers and 115 runs batted in during her four years there. She even played her senior season with the Caseys committed to college after signing her Letter of Intent with Furman University during her junior year.
“I talked with the president of the softball association all about my application to become a citizen, and they helped it get pushed through,” said Griswold. “It usually takes a lot longer, but it only took me six months.”
Don’t be mistaken, not everyone can just sign up and play international softball. Griswold was a top-notch Shore Conference player while at Red Bank Catholic; she had a career batting average of .419 and accompanied that with 16 homers and 115 runs batted in during her four years there. She even played her senior season with the Caseys committed to college after signing her Letter of Intent with Furman University during her junior year.
After months of back and forth with Softball Ireland, all the behind-the-scenes work was hashed out, and just before the New Year, she made a trip to New York City, finalizing her Irish citizenship papers and applying for her passport.
Griswold says this achievement means much to her family, especially her Irish grandmother.
“She’s 91, so she doesn’t get to see me play a lot, but when I first told her I was going to play for the Irish team, just hearing how excited she was to hear that someone in our family was going to still have an Irish connection, it’s been really awesome,” said Griswold.
Even with a full plate in front of her – the Furman Paladins begin tournament play in February – Griswold won’t have to sacrifice one of her teams for the other.
Tess has been invited to represent Ireland at the European Championships which will be held in Bollate, Italy from June 25 – July 1, 2017 and also to the Junior World Championships which will be held in Clearwater, Florida from July 24 – July 30, 2017.
“It’s great because this way, I’m training year round, and they know I’m still training in America,” Griswold said. “And then my college coach is happy because that means I’m still playing throughout the summer and seeing great competition.”
Since joining the Jersey Intensity at age nine, Griswold has committed herself to becoming a well-polished catcher and overall softball player. Now, as a member of both a collegiate and international team, she looks to take another step forward and play in front of her now fellow Irish countrymen and women.
“It’s really exciting for me to not only be playing for myself anymore or just for my team; I’m starting to play for a much bigger audience and that’s the thing that’s been really meaningful for my family,” Griswold said. “It puts a lot of things in perspective on how important sports are.”
Griswold says this achievement means much to her family, especially her Irish grandmother.
“She’s 91, so she doesn’t get to see me play a lot, but when I first told her I was going to play for the Irish team, just hearing how excited she was to hear that someone in our family was going to still have an Irish connection, it’s been really awesome,” said Griswold.
Even with a full plate in front of her – the Furman Paladins begin tournament play in February – Griswold won’t have to sacrifice one of her teams for the other.
Tess has been invited to represent Ireland at the European Championships which will be held in Bollate, Italy from June 25 – July 1, 2017 and also to the Junior World Championships which will be held in Clearwater, Florida from July 24 – July 30, 2017.
“It’s great because this way, I’m training year round, and they know I’m still training in America,” Griswold said. “And then my college coach is happy because that means I’m still playing throughout the summer and seeing great competition.”
Since joining the Jersey Intensity at age nine, Griswold has committed herself to becoming a well-polished catcher and overall softball player. Now, as a member of both a collegiate and international team, she looks to take another step forward and play in front of her now fellow Irish countrymen and women.
“It’s really exciting for me to not only be playing for myself anymore or just for my team; I’m starting to play for a much bigger audience and that’s the thing that’s been really meaningful for my family,” Griswold said. “It puts a lot of things in perspective on how important sports are.”
———-This sports story ran the week of January 5 – 12, 2017———-
