Former NDSU Softball Pitcher to Play Professionally in the Netherlands

North Dakota State University's former Summit League Pitcher of the Year and NFCA all-Midwest Region performer Whitney Johnson will try her hand at professional softball in the Netherlands this summer. Johnson will pitch for Centrals 1 in Utrecht, just outside of Amsterdam. Each team is allowed two American players on the roster.

"I am excited, not only for the opportunity to continue playing, but also for the opportunity to travel overseas," said Johnson, a native of Lake Crystal, Minn., who will leave for the Netherlands on May 20 and return to the United States in mid-August. She is the second NDSU softball player to compete overseas joining former NCAA Division II All-American catcher Shelly Rhein, who played professionally in Italy.

It will be a busy summer for Johnson, who graduates with a bachelor's degree in human development and family science on May 17 in the Fargodome. After completing her diamond tour in the Netherlands, she plans to start pursuit of a master's degree in the Child Life program at the University of La Verne in Southern California in late August. Her future plans include becoming a child life specialist at a children's hospital and perhaps get into coaching.