BOONE, N.C. – App State infielder
Hannah Forbes and assistant coach
Shane Showalter recently completed play at the Canada Softball Cup in July. They are both important parts of the Mountaineer softball team and were glad to get the opportunity to experience international competition.
Both people had intentions of becoming better at what they do at App State. For Forbes, she wanted to find the comfort on the field that she thought was missing from her first season at App State. She wanted to learn what she needed to do to compete against players in the Sun Belt.
Showalter was there to absorb as much information as he could to help in the development of App State Softball. Seeing girls from different countries go out there and compete with intensity and fire is something special, and Showalter hopes that his time at the Canada Cup have helped him learn how to implement what he experienced at App State.
International competition is something only a few people can say they have experienced. That's why both Forbes and Showalter relished the opportunity to play in the Canada Cup.
Finding Her Stride
Hannah Forbes recently completed her first softball season in Boone after compiling a plethora of awards for her high school team in Canton, Ga. She was named the team MVP in 2020 and was a two-time All-Region selection in 2020 and 2021. She was a very good hitter in high school, bashing 24 home runs for her travel team.
Her success at Woodstock High School provided her the opportunity to live out her dream of playing Division I softball. Choosing App State proved to her that she had what it took to play softball against top collegiate talent.
But Forbes' first season at App State wasn't what she expected. She appeared in 22 games and recorded just two hits in 25 at-bats.
She didn't feel comfortable at the plate or in the field. She realized the competition was far different in the Sun Belt Conference than it was in high school, and she needed to make an adjustment to help her team win games in her sophomore season.
If she wanted to achieve her goal, she knew she would need to find the comfort on the field that she had when she was in high school. That's why she chose to reunite with her travel team this summer and play in the Canada Cup Softball Championship.
"The Canada Cup most prepared me for the upcoming season at App State by giving me the opportunity to get live game reps," Forbes said. "Working on fundamentals is awesome, but also getting live reps this summer was super important for my training going into this season."
The Canada Cup International Softball Championship is operated by the Canadian Amateur Sport Society and is a registered not-for-profit society dedicated to advocating and encouraging the development of the sport of softball by staging a first-class, family-oriented elite international fastpitch event.
Forbes was excited about the opportunity to play in the tournament. It gave her a chance to compete against some of the best softball players from around the world and to prove to herself that she could compete at a high level.
"The tournament allowed me to compete against some of the best competition from across the world which prepared me to face the competition that is in the Sun Belt," Forbes said.
The Georgia native played alongside players from Australia, Canada, Israel, Chinese Taipei and Ukraine. It was a new experience for her but was one that she enjoyed.
"Although we were all from completely different cultures," Forbes said, "there was one thing we all had in common and that was the love for softball. It was so amazing to see how this sport can bring so many people together on the field, despite what may be happening off the field."
Forbes cherished the opportunity to play against players from around the world, but she wanted to play in the Canada Cup to find herself on the field again. She wanted to improve upon her skills on the softball field and find comfort in the game she loves before returning to App State for her sophomore season.
"I wanted to go play in the Canada Cup to prepare for this upcoming season at App State," Forbes said. "It was the perfect opportunity for me to get some live reps facing some of the top competition from across the world."
Forbes took advantage of the live reps at the Canada Cup. Her team, GA Power, won eight of its 12 games, and Forbes was a big reason why they were successful.
Above all, the sophomore was pleased with the progress she made on her playing abilities and skillset in the tournament.
"I was looking to build my mental game and fine-tune a few things with my swing and defense," she said. "I wanted to build a more fearless mindset in the box and out on defense. I wanted to train to go all out all the time."
Playing with her travel team allowed Forbes to be comfortable on the field. She especially found this beneficial because it allowed her to play freely, which is something she thought was missing from her first season at App State.
"I am super thankful I was able to go back to my travel team and play with some former teammates again," she said. "I used this tournament to work out some things I had previously struggled with. I played with no fear and just played freely and competitively."
Playing in the Canada Cup proved to Forbes that she can still compete against the highest competition in the Sun Belt. She found comfort on the field by changing her mindset and using the opportunity to work on skills she thought was missing.
"I am happy that I was able to compete in these games and perform in critical situations," Forbes said. "Playing in the Canada Cup will allow me to bring a better version of myself, on and off the field, back to App State."
Forbes is ready to take a huge step forward in her second season with the Mountaineers. She has big aspirations for both her team and herself in 2024.
She is excited about the opportunity to have a bigger role on her team and credits the Canada Cup for preparing her to take that next step in her development.
Never Enough to Learn
Coaching softball at any level is no easy task. It requires patience, diligence and accountability. App State assistant coach
Shane Showalter, who has over 20 years of coaching experience, knows this and has been using his experience and intellect at App State for the past seven years.
Showalter primarily works with the hitters on the App State softball team. He has coached multiple All-Sun Belt conference team players and saw the team score the second-most runs in the Sun Belt in 2022. He knows how to train successful hitters.
Over the past few seasons, the coach has been working with the Greek National Team in their quest to make the Olympics. And even though he has experienced international softball multiple times, he still finds himself in awe of the international game and the international atmosphere.
This summer, Showalter coached with the Greek National team at the Canada Softball Cup. They played new teams and competed against different styles of play. Coach Showalter embraced every second of it.
"Coaching in the Canada Cup was a unique experience," Showalter said. "Not only did we compete against some of the best athletes from around the world, we got to experience everyone's love of the sport and respect for the sport, the athletes, the coaches and the officials."
Showalter and Team Greece competed in eight games at the Canada Cup. They played teams from Japan, Israel, Australia, Italy and Mexico. Showalter was especially impressed with the way the Japanese team competed.
"I think the coolest part was playing Team Japan, who is the No. 2 team in the world rankings," Showalter said. "Seeing how regimented they are in their preparation, seeing their talent in the game, and most impressively, seeing their level of discipline was an amazing experience."
The high intensity of international competition is no surprise to Showalter. Every player on every team wants to go out and compete and win games.
"These athletes are competing for love of country and love of sport," Showalter said. "You don't have to coach energy and effort, its built in. Competing against international athletes is like nothing else out there. Again, they are competing for their country and the level of self-motivation is pretty special."
The universal love of the game is something that Showalter noticed while playing at the tournament. It's one thing to see players compete from places where softball is popular, but to see that girls who love softball in areas where the game isn't as popular is an experience that resonated with the coach.
"The love showed by everyone was special," Showalter said. "It truly showed the true spirit of sport. You don't find any arrogance in the athletes or the coaches. Everyone is out there for love of the game and in that, they all still compete like crazy.
The Canada Cup also gave Coach Showalter the chance to see how other countries develop their players.
"There was a younger division competing in the same tournament so not only did we get to compete against some of the world's best, we got to see how they develop players in their systems," Showalter said.
This let Showalter absorb information that he could bring back to App State. He has already coached multiple All-Conference players in his career, but he is always looking for ways to improve the players under his tutelage. It was a unique experience that Showalter made sure to observe during his time at the tournament.
"I think from a development perspective," Showalter said, "I would like to bring more focus and commitment to the little details of the game. The intense focus on the, seemingly, most trivial drill we might have. That is something you see in all of the top teams. They take everything seriously."
Coach Showalter stresses discipline, passion and grace into his players. He wants to see App State softball play with a fire and love for the game, but also play with discipline on the field. He and head coach
Shelly Hoerner strive to instill these attributes in their players both on and off the field.
But for Showalter, there can never be enough lessons to be taught. He hopes that his coaching experience with the Greek National team at the Canada Cup can help him bring more of what App State needs for the next season.
"As far as what I can bring back to App State softball," Showalter said, "I want to find that level of discipline Japan has, that fire and flare of Team Mexico and Italy, and that level of grace and love of the game that seems to be just a part of the fabric of international softball."
Showalter will continue to coach with the Greek National Team whenever he can. His experiences with the team have been extremely beneficial to his players at App State. He hopes to continue learning and absorbing whatever he can from international softball because to him there are always things to learn in life.
