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NATCHEZ — Recent Cathedral High School graduates and Lady Green Wave softball standouts Liza Gregg and Madelyn Fielder were selected for a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join America’s team and represent the United States of America in a softball tournament in Barcelona, Spain.

Cathedral head softball coach Craig Beesley that the tournament that Gregg and Fielder will be playing in will take place the week of July 7 -14. Beesley noted that during the tournament, Gregg will play catcher and Fielder will play as an outfielder.

“It is a chance for them to go to Spain and play in a tournament for the USA,” Beesley said. “I’m really proud that they will be representing Cathedral, Natchez, and the USA. They are two good kids that will be going there representing Cathedral School very well.”

Gregg said that this will be the final time that she and Fielder will be on the same softball field before heading off to college. And they’ll do so in the same city that played host to the 1992 Summer Olympics.

“We’ve been playing together for a really long time. This will be the last time we’ll play together before we go our separate ways,” Gregg said. “It’ll be a good bonding moment for us. We’re super excited to take our community with us to Spain and expand it to a new country.”

“It’s a dream come true. You don’t expect such a thing to happen. But when it does, you’re awestruck,” Fielder said.

As for how each of them were selected to play in such a prestigious tournament and be a part of Team USA, Beesley said, “They were selected by an offline questionnaire by college coaches that had been recruiting them throughout high school.”

Beesley added that Gregg and Fielder found out they were going be playing in this tournament at the end of the 2024 fast-pitch softball season last October.

“They were excited and ready to go,” Beesley said.

“We got a text from the coaches and at first I thought it wasn’t real. We looked into it some more and it was a real thing. We went through all the registrations and the coaches called us back and said they’re excited to have us on the team,” Gregg said. “(I was) more excited than anything I’ve been through. It’s the type of thing you see on TV.”

“At first I didn’t believe it. Once realization hit me, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh’. I was so ecstatic,” Fielder said. “Just how cool and amazing an experience this is – to experience all the new cultures and take it all in. Having different parts of the world we’ve never seen.”

Gregg will also be playing catcher at Millsaps College and Fielder will be in the outfield for East Central Community College next spring.