Softball dream comes true for Rough

Even when she was an 8-year-old playing for the Carson Comets, Rosette Rough dreamed of playing major college softball.

It's been a long road -- one that led through Corvallis, Ore., and ultimately to Brooklyn, N.Y. -- but Rough has seen her dream come true beyond her best expectations. That's why the Long Island University-Brooklyn senior was so thrilled last week when she learned of her selection to the NFCA Louisville Slugger Third-Team All-American.

"I've been playing softball since I was 8, so it was really special, for all the people who've helped me along the way, for our girls, our team and for coach (Roy) Kortmann," said Rough, the first softball player at Long Island to earn All-American softball recognition. . "It made me feel really good because all my hard work finally paid off. I just couldn't believe it. That's like the highest honor you can get in softball."

Rough had a successful season and career at Long Island that ended two weekends ago in Fresno, Calif., when the Blackbirds lost back-to-back games against Georgia and North Carolina at the NCAA Regionals. Among her achievements at Long Island, Rough was named to the Northeast Conference all-league team three times. Rough's 187 career hits rank second on the school's all-time list, plus she ranks third all-time with 129 runs and second with 63 stolen bases.

This season, the 5-foot-4 left fielder, led Long Island with her .382 batting average, 43 runs, 63 hits (a school record), seven home runs, 104 total bases, .630 slugging percentage, .441 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases. She was tough in the big games this season with a .435 average against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. She hit 6-for-12 against nationally ranked UCLA, Stanford, California and Georgia. UCLA defeated California 1-0 in the NCAA championship game on Monday.

The Blackbirds (29-21, 19-3 NEC) captured their third NEC title in the last five years and earned their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1999.

"We were just so excited to make it," Rough said. "Especially for the seniors, we hadn't gone yet. We worked so hard for four years and it finally paid off."

Unfortunately for the Blackbirds, their regional experience was limited to just two games, a 5-1 loss to No. 7 Georgia and a 10-2 loss to North Carolina.

Rough, who hit leadoff in Long Island's lineup most of the season, showed some Rickey Henderson-like qualities during the NEC Tournament when she hit a three-run homers in the semifinals and finals.

Down 3-0 in the semifinals against defending tournament champion University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the Blackbirds scored four runs in the fourth inning and went on to a 9-3 victory. Rough's two-out home run to left-center gave Long Island a 4-3 lead.

"We've always had trouble beating UMBC and we were losing 3-0 in that game," Rough said. "When I came up, we had runners on second and third with two outs; I get an outside curve ball, I pop the ball straight up and the catcher drops it. I'm like, 'Just calm down, stay relaxed and if she throws a strike, swing at it.' She threw it right over the plate and I hit a home run.

"That was so exciting. That was probably one of the most exciting games I've ever played in."

Rough also hit a three-run homer in Long Island's 9-1 championship game win against Quinnipiac the next day.

"I'm normally not a home run hitter, but I was that weekend, I guess," Rough said, smiling. "You're not swinging for the fences, you just go for a base hit."

In March, Rough was named to the all-tournament team at the Capital Classic in Sacramento. She hit .471 (8-for-17) in the tournament -- 2-for-3 with a double in a 9-0 loss to California and 2-for-4 with a triple and stolen base in a 2-1 win against UNLV.

Amazingly, Rough also found time to play soccer at Long Island, led the team in goals during her senior season last fall and helped the Blackbirds advance to the NCAA Tournament her freshman season in 1999 (they lost to Maryland in the first-round).

And just as amazing, Rough's journey from Carson City to Brooklyn included a brief stopover at Oregon State, where she failed to make the cut for the softball team and then took up rugby -- where she received second-team All-American recognition.

"When I got up there, all I could do was try to walk on to the softball team," Rough said. "The coach said the roster was full and that they weren't accepting anyone else. I said, 'OK, now what am I going to do?' Then I saw a flyer on the dorm wall and they needed rugby players. I thought that would be a fun little sport, you get to hit people. So I played one year and had the time of my life, played in the regionals, and met a lot of great people. And that was that; I had to leave for somewhere else."

It was former Carson High and Comets teammate Leah Sanchez who persuaded her to make the move to Long Island. With Sanchez pitching, Rough in left field and Margie Foster at third base, the Blackbirds had three former Carson Senators in the lineup at the same time. Sanchez and Rough were three-time all-conference selections and Foster was honored her freshman year. Foster hit .314 with three home runs and a team-high 34 RBIs as a junior this season.

"Leah said, 'You can play two sports, you'll be in New York, you'll have fun,'" Rough said. "And having three girls from Carson City, Nevada, on the Long Island roster, that was really special."

With a physical education degree in hand, Rough looks to the future with high hopes and some more goals. She wants to teach and coach, possibly in Carson City. Ultimately, she would like to coach in a Division I softball program. And in the back of her mind, she is considering pro ball.

"I'm lucky. I've been blessed with some talent," Rough said. "I was always determined and hard-nosed. I always wanted to be the best. I wanted to play Division I college softball. That was what I wanted to be. All the other things that came along, the rugby, playing Division I soccer, I actually wanted to do that, too. When the opportunity came, I went after it. I never wanted to let my ability go to waste."