When junior Rachel O’Connell traveled to Austria and Prague with teammate Kristian Berger to play softball, she admitted that she thought the competition would be more challenging.

The softball duo played for USA Athletes International, Inc., a softball team composed of players from Missouri, Texas, New York and Illinois. Despite not playing together previously, the team dominated all six matches on its European tour June 24 to July 3, including a win against the Austrian national team.

“I went into this thinking there were going to be some really tough matches,” O’Connell said, “and I just feel like the competition was a lot better in Missouri than anywhere over there that we played.”

O’Connell, who tore her rotator cuff and labrum (in her shoulder), played even though she was not 100 percent.

Since her shoulder only allowed her to swing and catch, she played left field for the week, a relatively low-action position.

“In all the games, I did have to field the ball once,” O’Connell said. “The shortstop had to meet me half way, and I did a sort of underhand toss. It was actually kind of funny.”

While winning was important to the team, another aspect of the trip was international softball appreciation. After the matches, the team would often hang out with the opposing team, going out to dinners to try food native to the area.

“It was fun being able to meet people who have a different culture and fool around with them,” O’Connell said.

Of course, the pair hit the sites in Vienna and Prague with their tour guide, going to churches, a concentration camp and a brewery. For a full account of their travels, check out their blog on www.slubillikens.com.

O’Connell and Berger are not the only Saint Louis University players to compete during the summer, though.

Junior shortstop Rachel Heet, sophomore catcher Nicki Jost and freshman outfielder Kristin Nicoletti all played for the St. Louis All-Star Team, which is comprised of St. Louis-area natives who have competed in softball at the Division I level.