French connection

Oaks Christian grad roams outfield in World Softball Championships



HAPPY BASTILLE DAY—Natalie Glover, an Oaks Christian High grad, stars at leftfield for France’s national softball team, which opens the World Softball Championship tournament on Friday in Canada.

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY—Natalie Glover, an Oaks Christian High grad, stars at leftfield for France’s national softball team, which opens the World Softball Championship tournament on Friday in Canada.

Vive la France.

Natalie Glover, an Oaks Christian High graduate born and raised in Camarillo, will represent Team France at the Women’s World Softball Championship from July 15-24 at Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

“To sum it up, in one word, it’s just awesome,” Glover said. “It’s a very fun, rewarding experience.”

Glover, 19, is a veteran in the international softball circuit.

This is her fourth year representing Team France, including her second summer on the senior national squad. Glover, who completed her freshman year roaming center field for Occidental College this spring, has suited up in European Championships in Italy and Holland. A dual citizen, Glover is the second youngest player and only American on Team France.

Les Bleus opens the international tournament at 8:30 a.m. Friday against Venezuela. Glover, a left fielder for France, wants to watch Team USA, which plays Israel at 3:30 p.m. Friday. She’ll cheer for Sam Fischer, a Simi Valley High grad and infielder for the Red, White and Blue. When Glover was 11 she took batting lessons from Fischer.

“It’s a once in a lifetime thing for a kid,” Oaks Christian softball head coach Peter Ackermann said. “Not every kid can go to the Olympics. This is her Olympics.”

Softball will likely return to the Olympic stage in 2020. For now, this tournament will suffice for the world’s best players.

Glover found out about the international softball scene through her next-door neighbor, George Peraza, a coach for Spain’s junior national team.

Glover and French junior national coaches spent the next 18 months emailing back and forth. The French liked enough of what they saw in skills videos to invite the youngster to join the team. Glover played her first tournament for Team France after her sophomore year of high school. Glover and Peraza, neighbors in Camarillo, played each other in Rosmalen, Netherlands, in 2014, proving once and for all that it’s a small world after all.

“It’s really neat to see somebody who works so hard on and off the field,” said Vic Paladino, a former Grace Brethren head coach. Paladino was Glover’s first travel ball coach with the So Cal Revolution when the spark plug was 11 years old.

“She’s an example to other girls,” Paladino said. “They can see all the things you can achieve when you put hard work in your life and in the classroom. It’s amazing to see her do all those things.

“She’s just a very outgoing, positive, hardworking kid. It sounds generic but it’s very true. She’s just a great kid.”

Glover kept her skills sharp this summer by practicing with her former travel team, the Pacific Coast Predators of the Conejo Valley.

“We’re really proud of her,” Predators head coach Frank Blauvelt said. “She’s got a great big heart. She’s kindhearted and very self-motivated.”

Glover speaks fluent French thanks to her mom, Patty, who speaks it at home. She’s visited France almost every year, making her first trek as a baby. She went to a French immersion school in preschool.

Last summer, she helped France place ninth out of 21 teams at the European Championships.

“It’s kind of a big deal to represent your country, or any country,” Glover said. “I have a lot of roots in France. It’s like a second home to me. There’s big pressure. You want to look good, be presentable and represent the country well.

“To wear France, or any country, on your jersey—wow, you made it to the big league. Time to go. Time to represent.”

After starring at Oaks Christian for four seasons, Glover made an immediate impact as one of nine freshmen at Occidental this spring. The center fielder generated a .287 batting average with 16 runs, 12 RBI, seven doubles, two triples and a team-high seven steals. She was named the team’s defensive player of the year.

Alison Haehnel, Occidental’s fifth-year head coach, praised Glover.

“She made a big effort to bring people together,” Haehnel said. “She was so enthusiastic from day one to get to know everyone on the team and participate in every team event. She was really a connector. She made a huge effort to get to know all of her teammates on a personal level, not just on the softball field. . . .

“She’s a joy to coach. She always has a huge smile on her face. She asks great questions. She works hard at everything we ask her to do.”

Glover knows how to make teammates and coaches smile.

At Occidental practice, she occasionally unveils her epic home run trot.

“She has a just a wonderful bat flip,” Haehnel said. “She trots around the bases and blows kisses to the outfield, and she finishes with a cartwheel on home plate. She would never do that in front of fans or opponents. She makes the whole team laugh. That’s Nat in a nutshell.”

Glover’s brother, Matthew, 16, is an incoming junior basketball, volleyball and track and field standout at Oaks Christian. Her sister, Lauren, 13, plays softball, soccer and volleyball. Her father, Greg, played basketball at Camarillo High.

The former Lion played club soccer for eight years, and suited up for one season on the pitch at Oaks Christian. She tried out for the cheer squad as a senior. At Occidental, she works as a mail clerk at postal operations, driving a golf cart on campus and dropping off packages for professors. She enjoys going to the beach, bowling, trying new restaurants and, of course, traveling—she wants to visit all 50 U.S. states and all seven continents.

Bastille Day, France’s national day of independence, is today. Glover hopes to set off proverbial fireworks on the diamond at the World Softball Championship the next few days.

“Those very close games,” Glover said, “it’s those moments I live for.”

Email sports editor Eliav Appelbaum at eliav@theacorn.com.


 

 

 

 

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