After one season away from the program, former softball player Rebecca Blitz helped guide Israel to a ninth place finish in the European Championships. She batted .520 in the tournament and had a tournament-best 11 stolen bases.
In 2018, Blitz received a phone call to join the Israeli softball team in an attempt to qualify for the 2020 Olympic games.
Last year, Israel only won a single game, but this time around it finished 7-2 with losses to No. 2 Italy and No. 5 Spain. Its ninth place finish was the best-ever placement for the team.
Blitz is no stranger to international competition as a Jewish athlete. In 2017, she played for Team USA in the World Maccabiah Games. She reached base in every at-bat except for three and had a gold-medal clinching triple to end the tournament.
While a part of the IU softball program, Blitz made sure her name was in numerous spots in the record books.
She finished her career second all-time with 236 hits and 89 stolen bases while also placing fourth with 133 runs scored, and her .339 career batting average is sixth all-time.
