ZELIENOPLE — Brittany Showers had never played second base before.

Normally a pitcher for the Freeport HighSchool softball team, Showers had to learn how to play another position as a member of the Pittsburgh Pride 16-and-under traveling softball team this summer.

With a deep pitching staff, the Pride needed Showers' bat in the lineup when she wasn't in the circle.

"Second base was brand new to me," Showers said. "But by the end of the summer, I knew when to cover and we even tried to turn double plays."

The team got together late because five of its players are on the Punxsutawney High team, which made the PIAA Class AAA finals this year.

Because of that late start and the unfamiliarity the players had with each other, the Pride started out slowly.

The team had qualified for the 2006 National SoftballAssociation World Series, but coach Eric Hollerman decided to take a pass.

"We just wanted to let the team mesh together," Hollerman said. "With the five girls from Punxy going to the state championship game, it put us behind schedule."

The Pride kept plugging along this summer, attending tournaments in Ohio, West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania and improved with each competition.

Things finally came together the last two weekends when the team won the Ohio ValleyStars Classic tournament in Wheeling, W. Va., and then the Harrisburg College Showcase tournament last weekend.

"We didn't start out very well at the beginning, but the last two weekend we won the tournaments," Showers said." We beat a really, really good team (Sunday).

The Harrisburg event was the final one for the Pride. Showers only wishes there were more.

"Tell me about it," she said. "We are playing so well now."

With the tournament win in Wheeling, the team qualified for the 2007 NSA World Series. There's no keeping the Pride from that tournament next summer.

"If we play there like we left off (last weekend), we're going to do very well," Showers said.

Hollerman certainly hopes so.

He joined the team, which is based inZelienople, a little more than two years ago and held tryouts to form the team he has now.

To help the players come together more easily this summer, he moved practices around to accommodate his roster, which, in addition to the five players from Punxsutawney, includes players from Brookville, Mohawk, Shaler and Butler highschools.

It wasn't hard to get the girls' cooperation. They are playing softball in the summer instead of taking trips to the beach because they are dedicated.

"They are all competitors," Hollerman said. "These girls are here because they love to play softball and want to play beyond their high school careers."

Not long after the Pride season, Showers will suit up for the Freeport fall season as well as attend her pitching lessons on a regular basis. In the spring, she will pitch for the Yellowjackets.

"I play all year," Showers said. "It's enjoyable at times. It gets frustrating sometimes with school."

ButShowers wouldn't have it any other way.

Showers, who will be a senior at Freeport this fall, wants to play in college.

That's another service the Pittsburgh Pride provides.

College scouts flock to many of the tournament the Pride participates in. Some hold college showcases before the games begin so the players can show off their skills to captive audience.

Showers has already made contacts with college coaches.

"These coaches don't go to high school games," Hollerman said. "They go to the national tournaments and watch the girls play against top-notch competition. It's a huge commitment for these girls. They are traveling every weekend, staying in hotels. Their summers are gone. But they want to do it because they want to play at the next level."

Hollerman's daughter Trisha, who is a member of the Pride as well as the Butler HighSchool team, is one of those players who wants to compete in college.

"I told her if she wanted to play out her high school career and be done, that was fine," Eric Hollerman said. "I'd support that. But if she wanted to play in college, she needed to go play for a team like (the Pittsburgh Pride)."

Following is the Pittsburgh Pride 16-and-under traveling softball team roster. The team won its last two tournaments and has qualified for the 2007 NationalSoftballAssociation World Series.<B>Name...........................School</B>Katie Baun...........................PunxsutawneyRebbecca Boehler...........................ShalerChelsea Brown...........................MohawkAngela Burke...........................PunxsutawneyBrooke Callen...........................PunxsutawneyCarley Cook...........................BrookvilleTrisha Hollerman...........................ButlerLauren Martino...........................PunxsutawneyKelsey McFarland...........................PunxsutawneyLauren Sanderson...........................ButlerBrittany Showers...........................Freeport