Foreign exchange students a hit for Geneva softball

Baseball is as American as apple pie, but Geneva softball has become an international experience.

The Vikings softball team, 13-6 entering Thursday's completion of a suspended game against West Aurora, is an athletic haven this spring for two foreign exchange students seeking a slice of Americana.

Khloe Benabouda hails from the town of Mahdia on the coast of Tunisia in northeastern Africa. Sophie Bertocchi came this school year from Italy, an hour and a half south of Venice in Rimini, also on the water.

They're both listed as infielders-outfielders because having never played softball before they're definitely not catchers or pitchers.

"I knew you played on a diamond with a ball and a bat. I didn't know anything else," Bertocchi said in English with an engaging Italian accent. "And a glove, too - I knew you played with a glove."

After that the learning began. At Geneva's first practice coach Greg Dierks brought the two girls the necessary equipment they didn't have. Holding her glove, Dierks recalled, Bertocchi "put both hands up and said, 'Which hand?'"

Benabouda, whose English contains barely a trace of accent, calls the man or woman in blue "the judge," just as logical as "umpire."

Now, high school coaches are paid not only to teach but to win games. Colorful, "Bad News Bears"-style high jinks are good for a laugh now and then, such as when Dierks pointed to home and Benabouda, sprinting from second base, promptly cut 90 degrees from the base path and omitted touching third. But they don't do much for the bottom line.

After first Bertocchi then Benabouda approached Dierks about joining the team before the season he weighed the rookies' competitive disadvantages against the benefits both to the exchange students and the veteran Geneva softball players.

Ultimately, like a judge, Dierks made the wise decision.

"You have this question come up and you're wondering, 'Is this a good idea or not?' But it was so obvious when they joined us, it was the right thing to do."

The girls participate in pregame warm-up routines and practices though Dierks obviously has to pick the right spots to get them in games. Bertocchi is 0 for 2 with two strikeouts but has walked three times, gotten hit by a pitch, and has scored 2 runs. Benabouda is 0 for 4, grounding out twice with a pair of Ks, a hit-by-pitch and 1 run scored.

In their first at-bats of the season, in the same game, they each got hit by a pitch.

"I told the coach of the other team he might be flirting with a phone call from an embassy," Dierks said.

Khloe, hosted by the Kilmer family in Geneva her exchange year, played club tennis in Africa. Sports are generally outside the high school realm, she said, and in her spare time she also enjoyed soccer and handball, which she said is big over there.

Benabouda still has two years of high school left back home. If she obtains an academic scholarship from a college here in the states she plans on returning.

If not, she said, "I won't go here because it's expensive and back home it's free."

Khloe had never heard of softball before she arrived in Geneva. Now she calls it "a huge part of my experience."

"I like that it's a team," she said. "I was planning on doing badminton before but it's individual and you just play by yourself. But with my softball teammates it's really fun to play together and go together and cheer together."

Bertocchi, living in La Fox with the Zander family - who suggested she try softball - has another year left of high school back home. She's "fallen in love with physics" at Geneva and will probably attend college close to home, maybe the University of Bologna.

Sophie has jumped with both feet into all things Vikings. Drawing on a background in dance and gymnastics she was a cheerleader for football, basketball and competitions. She drank in the atmosphere of the boys basketball team's run to the Class 4A finals, but missed the downstate appearance - because she played an ensemble part in the school musical, "Peter Pan."

She listed 10 worldwide destinations for her year of foreign study and happily wound up here.

"I have only one year and I want to try everything that is American," she said.

The girls' softball experience is something of a two-way street. Geneva's seasoned players could have been ugly Americans, isolating and freezing out the foreigners, making them feel inferior. From practices and games to team excursions to the bowling alley and the movies that doesn't seem to be the case.

Asked if Bertocchi and Benabouda are having fun, Dierks said: "Absolutely. I think they enjoy it every day. The girls on the team really enjoy having them."

"The girls helped me a lot to learn everything about it," Bertocchi said, "and also the coach is really nice."

That is a great way to turn two - into softball fans.

"I can play soccer back home but baseball is an American kind of thing and I wanted to try it," Benabouda said. "It's hard at first to learn. When I see the girls playing it seems so easy, but when you do it, it's hard. But after time and practice I got better. Now I want to start a softball team when I go back home."

Warriors for warriors

Wheaton Academy baseball coach Brad Byrne said the school has a history of honoring military veterans in November, around Veterans Day. The baseball team is expanding that to May, National Military Appreciation Month.

"It's an opportunity for us as coaches to talk to our kids about the value of service," Byrne said. "Obviously being able to utilize the appreciation of our troops is a great opportunity to talk about service and to sacrifice for others."

Wheaton Academy's ballclub had wanted to schedule a fundraiser for the Wounded Warriors Project, but organizing that is a long process, said Byrne, whose father, Thomas, is an Army veteran.

(Byrne also noted Wheaton Academy players Brett Albaugh, Bryce Sandberg, Chris Johnson, Jake Lindstedt, Adam Ghosh and Luis Ramos play for a baseball team sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2164 in Wheaton.)

Instead Wheaton Academy designated three games in May in which they'll recognize service members and their families, and fly their colors with commemorative, star-spangled jerseys and caps. The first game was May 4 against Fenton; the next two are May 12 against IC Catholic Prep and May 19 against Riverside-Brookfield each at the campus in West Chicago.

Head of School Gene Frost is making arrangements for veterans to sing the national anthem and to throw out the first pitch at those games.

Rather than players' names on the back of their uniform tops, the "pillars" of both Wounded Warriors leadership and Wheaton Academy are sewn on: commitment, honor, courage, integrity, country, excellence and service.

For example, the name on the back of catcher David Thrasher's uniform is Country.

"We have enjoyed people asking about it, and that gives us an opportunity to say, thank you," Byrne said.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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