Loyola softball teammates Shannon McGee and Emily Borg are great friends off the field. The two junior position players grew even closer this past summer with a Study Abroad trip to Italy through Loyola's Fusion summer abroad program.
 
The two had the plans set in stone the previous winter, and began the trip seven time zones away almost immediately when the spring semester concluded. Upon arrival, the two got to experience Italy for a six-week stretch that lasted through the entire month of June.
 
While McGee was all in from the get-go, Borg had a bit of an unorthodox path to joining her classmate.
 
"I was initially interested because I needed the art credit," Borg began. "I had never been out of the United States so I wanted to explore and see other parts of the world. On top of that, Shannon swayed be to go in her group because we're tight, so I did."
 

 
McGee and Borg were dropped off and immediately on their own. That prompted some early struggles of communicating with locals and finding their way around towns, ultimately helping them grow closer together since the two were in it together. While it wasn't initially all unicorns and rainbows, the curriculum was set up for plenty of memorable moments. While there, the two got to take in a unique mix of classes, seeing landmarks and frequenting restaurant hot spots.
 
One of those landmarks featuring a rare sighting from an international phenomenon.
 
"My dad was like, 'you're not going to see the pope,'" McGee recalled. "He said he's always traveling and it's not going to happen. But we did so we can say we saw him."
 

 
The trip had a handful of lasting impacts. A direct example is a change in personality that has not gone unnoticed by their teammates and coaches.
 
"I think their bond is closer and they're more confident individuals," head coach Jeff Tylka said. "The trip gave them a sense that they can handle things a lot better on their own, which helped them mature a lot. Traveling overseas will do that. They had to figure things out on their own and there was no one there to help them."
 
From a softball perspective, both student-athletes emphasized how the trip was a nice escape from the 24/7 grind of softball and that they expect it to help for the 2019 season.
 
Borg appeared in 45 of Loyola's 50 games in 2018, while McGee was the Ramblers' representative on the All-MVC First Team. Both players are part of a five-person junior class.