HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M softball continues to go global with a pair of players competing for Puerto Rico in the Under-18 Softball World Cup in Lima, Peru from December 6-12.
 
Sophomore pitcher Esperanza Coe (Beaumont, Calif.) and freshman outfielder Tatiana Roman (Garden Grove, Calif.) are among 16 individuals representing No. 5 Puerto Rico in a tournament featuring some of the best U-18 teams in the world.
 
That is a field that includes No. 2 United States, No. 4 Mexico, No. 6 Chinese Taipei, No. 10 Netherlands, No. 13 Czech Republic, No. 30 Peru and No. 40 Columbia. Following seven games of round robin play, the top two teams will meet in the World Championship Final at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 12 and the No. 3 and No. 4 clubs will face off in the Bronze Medal Game at 12 p.m.
 
Through five games Puerto Rico is 3-2 and tied for the third spot with the Czech Republic, a team they will meet on the final day of pool play. Ahead of that CR faces a Chinese Taipei team that is 5-0 and will face off against an undefeated USA squad in the final while PR takes on the Netherlands (0-4). Mexico (2-3) trails both by a game putting the Puerto Rican club in strong position to advance to the final day.
 
In those five outings, Roman has gone 6-for-14 at the plate with a pair of triples, three runs scored and an RBI while Coe has been an anchor in the circle. In three appearances she has thrown 12.1 innings to a 1.70 ERA, including an eight-inning gem against the USA. In that one she took the No. 2 U18 team in the world to extra innings in a 0-0 deadlock before surrendering a lone run in the eighth to fall 1-0.
 
Coe has also contributed at the plate as she has done in her time as a Bulldog, going 3-for-12 with a double, run scored and a pair of RBIs, each of the last three coming in her most recent outing.
 
In her time on The Hill, Coe has made her mark, becoming just the second individual in program history to be named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Freshman of the Year and the first to earn two All-SWAC honors – both First-Team – in the same season, doing so as a pitcher and designated player.
 
Stay tuned to www.AAMUSports.com for all the updates as Roman and Coe continue to put Alabama A&M softball on the global map with a push to play on the final day of the U-18 Softball World Cup.