Please introduce yourself.
My name is Katarina Mancic, I'm 19 years old and I'm from Serbia. I'm playing softball since 2009 for the club named Wildcats and I'm a pitcher and shortstop. I started playing for my national team in 2010 and I participated in the European Championship in Ankara (Turkey) that year. Right now I'm studying law but this year I will enroll in the Faculty of Architecture.

What made you want to play softball?
I first heard about softball from my friend who was already playing it. She said that I should come to see what it was. I did and I fell in love.

Can you tell me something about softball in your country?
Softball is not very developed here, many people don't even know that it exists, unfortunately. I really hope to change that in the future. We have like three active clubs in Serbia but we don't have a field so it's really hard to practice.

How often do you practice with your national team and what do they look like?
In the off season we practice twice a day. In the morning we have conditioning practice and in the afternoon it's always different. One time we hit and the other time we practice field situations. 

What's your best experience with the national team so far?
I would say say, when we won second place at the European Championship in Ankara 2010 and of course the World Championship in Canada.

Do you have a pre-game routine?
I like to listen to music before the game starts. I also like to do a little bit of dancing with some teammates if the coach allows us to because it helps me bring positive energy before the game. 

What's the best advice someone ever gave you?
When you play stay focused all the time. Always be positive and never pay attention to what people are talking about in the stands.

What's your ultimate softball dream?
My dream is to play even when my hair turns grey. Here's a little rhyme from me haha.

Who's your role model and why?
I don't really have a role model. I think that every player has something special that works for them so I hope to find something that works for me.

What is your goal for the 2018 season?
I would like to improve my pitching technique and play as many tournaments as I can with my club Wildcats. We are participating in the Euro league this year.

Do you think there is something we could do to make softball more popular in Europe?
I think we could promote it more on social media and in schools.

- Romy Marinus -