Stacy Piagno in a League of Her Own

Most college athletes have been playing their sport for as long as they can remember. For senior second basemen Stacy Piagno, it hasn't always been softball. In fact, Piagno didn't pick up her first softball until the summer before entering her freshman year of college.

She started playing baseball at 5 years old. Throughout little league and travel ball, Piagno was one of the only girls. As a high school baseball player at Menendez High School in St. Augustine, Fla., she was a vital part of the pitching staff. She was also the only female playing varsity baseball in the state at that time.

In the fall of 2009, Piagno headed off to Flagler College where she walked onto the softball team. After two seasons at Flagler, she decided to transfer to the University of Tampa. "It's a perfect fit for me. The campus, the team, the graphic design program…I couldn't imagine anything better" said Piagno.

Before making the move to Tampa, Piagno tried out for the US Women's National Baseball Team, who was preparing a team for the Women's International Friendship Series. A few years prior, Piagno had tried out for the team, and made it to the semi-final round of tryouts before being cut; but 2011 proved to be the start of a new future for Piagno.

Although many people mistake baseball and softball for the same game, Piagno will be one of the first to tell you it's not. Baseball is played on a bigger field, with the length between bases, and from the pitching mound to the catcher being longer than on a softball field. This is why softball is more fast-paced and generally has a much shorter game duration.

"I enjoy playing both," stated Piagno when asked about the games. "When playing baseball I am primarily a pitcher, so I enjoy getting a chance to run the game at my own speed. When playing softball I play infield, and I like that I can sit back and play the game from a different perspective."

Piagno hit .271 and boasted a .950 fielding percentage her junior year as a Spartan. After the team was knocked out of postseason while hosting the southern regional tournament, she made the transition back to baseball.

She rejoined Team USA for the 2012 Women's Baseball World Cup. The team traveled to Edmonton, Canada, where they earned a silver medal. Her most impressive moment of the series was coming in to pitch relief against the women of Australia.

She allowed only one run in 4.2 innings, and allowed her team to come back and win the game 11-8. Piagno recalls her international experience saying, "Playing against international teams has been amazing. It's fun to try to communicate with people who share the same interests but speak a different language."

The No. 13 Spartans are back in action on Thursday at the Naimoli Family Field against longtime Sunshine State Conference rival Florida Southern College at 6 p.m. The series will also include a 3 p.m., doubleheader on Friday.

Written by Karlyn Buker