HAARLEM, Netherlands -- Fairleigh Dickinson All-Northeast Conference softball player Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School) will compete in the 2014 ISF (International Softball Federation) XIV World Championship, slated to start Friday in Haarlem, Netherlands, as a member of Puerto Rico's national team. The 16-team event is scheduled to run through Aug. 24.

The opportunity for Nieves to play for Puerto Rico came during the summer of 2010 when she played for the Softball Hoboken RBI team. That summer, Nieves' squad played in the Softball RBI World Series down in Florida, where they faced Puerto Rico. In that contest, Nieves performed very well, and the Puerto Rico coach approached her afterwards to see if she was interested in playing for his team. That fall, Nieves traveled to Puerto Rico and played for Cangrejeras de Roosevelt.

"When it comes to Spanish, I'm not fluent, so I was nervous that I wasn't going to fit in since I didn't speak the language and at the moment understood very little," Nieves said. "When I flew down that fall (2010) to play, the people and the hospitality were like no other. They made me feel so comfortable and took me in with open arms. I have traveled down to Puerto Rico every summer ever since to play for my coach's team in a tournament that all players who lived on the island competed in."

In the beginning of her journey, Nieves stayed in hotels in different parts of the island; from the tourist attraction of Old San Juan to the beautiful hotels in Isla Verde. This summer, Nieves stayed with one of her teammates, whose family took her in most of the summer since she spent pretty much the whole summer in Puerto Rico.

This summer also proved to be a big one for both Nieves and Cangrejeras de Roosevelt, as the organization won the tournament for the first time in the organization's history. Nieves was happy to be a part of the championship and proud to see how far they had come ever since she started playing with them.

"Playing in Puerto Rico, they put so much heart into this game, and you can tell from the nonstop cheering by both teams, win or lose, to the crowd playing their instruments so loud every at bat and in between innings," Nieves said. "It's inspirational as well to see the pride they take in themselves to represent Puerto Rico and the sport they live and love to play. It's something I love being a part of and proud to be able to represent my country in that way."

"Over the years, my skills have progressed with the level of competition I've been playing in, and this summer I felt I was finally ready to play at the next level," Nieves said. "That's why I decided to try out for the Puerto Rican national team this summer."

The tryout took place in the Albergue Olimpico facility in Salinas, Puerto Rico for about a week. Twenty-two of the most talented Puerto Ricans from the island and from the States were invited to tryout, including Nieves, who said the facility was pretty much like camp, as it included three bunk beds in one room and a cafeteria that was open only certain hours throughout the day.

"We had three-a-day's with conditioning in the morning, practice in the afternoon and a scrimmage against ourselves at night," Nieves said. "It was pretty much like college softball but without the classes and homework."

At the end of the tryout, 16 players made the final cut. When it was announced that Nieves made the team, she said the feeling was overwhelming and something she had dreamed of ever since making the transition from baseball to softball.

"I've always wanted to continue playing the sport I love for as long as I can, and playing internationally was what I always wanted to do," Nieves said. "With all the love and support softball receives, I'm waiting for the day they bring it back to the Olympics."

In Nieves' overall experience, she has met a lot of talented girls from all over, becoming close friends with most of them, and has had the opportunity to face different levels of competition.

"In the end, my teammates became like a family, and Puerto Rico became like a second home to me," Nieves said.

Nieves also said that playing internationally is a lot different and the competition is that much more intense and traveling to different countries and competing with the best of the best from around the world is such an amazing experience both on and off the field.

"When I come back to school (FDU), I'm looking forward to taking this experience and using it towards helping my team this year in another playoff appearance and towards our first-ever conference championship title," Nieves said. "Making the national team was my goal and now being Northeast Conference champions is my next one."

"It is my senior year along with my fellow classmates (Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard), Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall), Cindy Zamudio (Wilmington, Calif./Redondo Union)), and I know we all want to end our college careers with a ring," Nieves said. "I'm excited to play in the world championship in the Netherlands, and I'm probably going to be the biggest tourist taking pictures of pretty much everything while I'm there, but I'm also looking forward returning to school and coming back to my team ready to work hard this fall for my last and final upcoming season."

Follow Nieves and Puerto Rico throughout the tournament by clicking here.