SWAMPSCOTT — For most 13-year-olds, the waning weeks of August mean gearing up for the start of another school year.
Swampscott native Chloe Rakauskas, however, has different matters to tend to before she gets ready for school.
Rakauskas will be competing in the 12-under USA Softball All-American Games in Oklahoma City, Okla. USA Softball announced the creation of the games in January.
Rakauskas, a 13-year-old incoming eighth-grader at Swampscott Middle School, is one of 360 players chosen from around the country. She’ll be competing on one of three teams chosen to represent “Zone 1,” which includes New England, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Rakauskas, who turned 13 in February, is eligible to play as rules state that anyone who’s 12 years old at the start of the year can do so.
“To have her make this team, we’re incredibly proud of her,” said Rakauskas’ grandfather, Walter Costello. “To see her compete at this high a level, we’re proud of her. To sit in the stands and watch her play in this level, it’s exciting for us and we’re a proud family.”
Rakauskas, the daughter of Jason and Sarah, was made aware of the opportunity to play in the All-American games by John Gambale. A fellow Swampscott native, Gambale founded and directs Rakauskas’ Junior Olympic softball team, the New England Storm.
“John’s the one that made us aware of this,” said Costello, a former Swampscott High athlete. “He was instrumental. Without him we wouldn’t have known about it, so we’re very grateful for him.”
Costello has been a firsthand witness to Rakauskas’ athletic success. She played on the Swampscott High junior varsity softball team as a seventh grader, and made the most of the opportunity. Primarily a catcher, Rakauskas shined at shortstop for the Big Blue and flashed her talents at the plate as well. She also plays basketball for the middle school team.
“She has great hand-eye coordination,” Costello said. “She’s also very strong. She’s a great catcher, she caught when she played baseball. Her blocking skills are very good. She can hit very well and that goes back to the hand-eye coordination. She’s competitive, and that’s another thing. She likes to win and she likes to play hard. She’s very successful at it.”
For Rakauskas, earning a spot on one of the three teams was no easy task. The former Swampscott Little Leaguer, who only has one year of softball experience after playing youth baseball, had to undergo a tough tryout period in July to make the team.
“At the beginning we did infield drills and then they moved other players to other fields to hit and catch live,” Rakauskas said. “We did a bunch of live hitting, I caught a lot of the pitchers and we went through a lot of drills. It was a long tryout but it was worth it.”
Although she knows the competition will be tough, Rakauskas, who had a mixed reaction when she found out she made the team, is looking forward to the opportunity.
“I was just really excited and kind of nervous at the same time,” Rakauskas said. “I was just really excited that I made the team. It’ll be fun to go to Oklahoma because I’ve never been there.”
A strong handful of Rakauskas’ family members will be joining her in making the trip to Oklahoma City. The chance to see his granddaughter compete on a national stage is one Costello would never imagine missing.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he said. “A lot of Chloe’s family members are making the trip and we’re going to make a trip out of it. We’re going to Oklahoma City and we’ll stop in Chicago on the way back, so we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Although she recently made the switch from baseball to softball, Rakauskas finds the latter to be an easier sport for her to succeed in.
“When I switched to softball, a lot of the seventh and eighth graders got to play JV softball for the high school team,” Rakauskas said. “The pitches weren’t that fast and the ball is bigger so it’s easier to see. It’s easier overall.”
Rakauskas will rely on her older brother, Anthony, to help her prepare for the upcoming tournament, which will be played at ASA Hall of Fame Complex.
“It’s probably going to be hard, but me and my brother Anthony will train together,” Rakauskas said. “He’s 15 (years old) and he can throw really hard to me, so that’ll help me practice.”
And with a tight schedule preventing the teams from getting much practice time, the hours Rakauskas spends training with her older brother become all the more important.
“I know that we’re going to be playing three games a day,” Rakauskas said. “There aren’t many practices for it. There’s one before we leave and one when we get there. So there won’t be much preparation for it.”
Peabody native Brianna Meroli is also playing in this year’s tournament.
The 12-under All-American Games begin August 18 and run through the 20th. Rakauskas and her teammates leave for Oklahoma City on August 17.
