For athletes, embarking on a professional playing career overseas can provide a variety of challenges from getting used to the business side of the sport to learning a new language, to finding your way around a foreign country.
 
Having one of your former college teammates at your side as you both try to navigate your way around a new country can be quite comforting. For former Loyola University Chicago softball standouts Allyson Ivey (Class of 2021) and Kiley Jones (Class of 2019), they have been able to lean on each other as they play professionally on the same team in Regensburg, Germany, which is located about an hour outside Munich.
 
Ivey initiated contact with some international teams and she and Jones played the waiting game until April when they got cleared to apply for visas and it was safe for them to travel. The season in Germany runs from April through September and in addition to playing games, the former Rambler mates are coaching girls to help grow the sport's popularity.
 
"Generally speaking, international teams are looking for American pitchers and catchers, so as battery mates, Allyson and I were more attractive to teams as a pair," Jones said. 
 
"It is a true joy to be back on the field with Kiley," Ivey said. "Some of my favorite games were played with her, so this just feels like home and coaching is a great experience with her as well because we complement each other in the best of ways."
 
Despite the Regensburg Legionare's season beginning in April, Ivey's professional career would have to wait until she finished up her eligibility and final season at Loyola in May. 
 
"I literally haven't stopped playing since graduating from Loyola," Ivey remarked. "I had two weeks off until I flew to Germany and have been playing and coaching ever since."
 
Although the sport of softball has exploded in popularity in the United States, in Germany, it is still relatively unknown, so much so, that people think the game is actually played with a soft ball.
 
"Here, the game is different because the girls play as a hobby," Ivey said. "They don't get paid. They don't get any perks. They play because they genuinely love the game. Being a part of growing the sport is a huge honor and it's the least I could do to give back to the game that has given me so much." 
 
Fortunately for Jones and Ivey, the language barrier hasn't been too much of an obstacle in their journey overseas and going away for their college experience at Loyola has made the adjustment to being so far away from home easier. Mostly everyone in Germany speaks fluent English.
 
"We are lucky enough to live with one of our teammates who makes navigating public spaces easier," Jones said. "Our teammates translate for us and teach us the important things, like how to order ice cream and beer! We also have a cheat sheet of German words and phrases posted to the back of our bathroom door that our teammate regularly updates so we can continue learning."
 
Although the language hasn't been a major impediment for them, they have learned the hard way about not being in America anymore. "One of my first days here, I was with some friends ordering pizza," Ivey recalled. "I asked for pepperonis and bacon on it and wound up with banana peppers because I learned pepperoni to them are straight up peppers."
 
The girls in Germany are fortunate to be learning from two of the best players to come through Loyola in recent seasons. Both were all-conference performers at some point and also excelled in the classroom.
 
Ivey, who primarily played first base during her collegiate career, but also saw action behind the plate and as the designated player, was a prolific hitter, who concluded her career in the Maroon and Gold as the program's all-time leader with 128 runs batted in and ranked second in school annals with a .375 batting average, and those numbers could have been even higher if not for a pair of abbreviated seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-time First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, the Hamilton, Ohio native also picked up National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Midwest Region honors twice in her storied career, including in 2019, when she set both Loyola and MVC records by posting a .460 batting average.
 
A native of Portage, Ind., the right-handed Jones was one of the most accomplished pitchers in Loyola history and graduated two years ago ranked second on the school's career chart for wins (60), innings pitched (664.0) and strikeouts (353). After notching 19 wins as a sophomore in 2017, Jones collected Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference and Third Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Midwest Region recognition, earning 17 wins, while compiling a 1.86 earned-run average.
 
But, since wrapping up her collegiate playing career in 2019, Jones had not played competitive softball, although she has stayed involved in the sport by acting as the director of fastpitch at Elite Baseball Training in Chicago, where she had been coaching and managing teams as well as doing individual and group training.  After finishing her master's degree in social work in 2020 and working as an addictions therapist, Jones put her career on pause to get back to a sport that has been such a vital part of her life. 
 
"The best part of playing overseas has been the opportunity to not only reignite my passion for pitching and hitting, but also to fully discover who I am as a person, player teammate and professional," Jones said. "I know that my passion lies in therapy and that is what I want to do for the rest of my life, but the opportunity to be in Germany has allowed me to press pause on my normal, high-stress lifestyle."
 
"Loyola has taught me to help foster a positive culture from the ground up," Ivey said. "It has taught me how to be a leader, but a friend all in one. Particularly, Loyola Athletics has taught me that as long as you continue to grow in a positive way, God provides great things. Because of its diversity as an institution, Loyola allowed me to be able to accept a new culture and be eager to dive into it and become part of the culture myself."
 
Jones echoed Ivey's sentiments about her time on the Lake Shore Campus. 
 
"My time at Loyola was such a time of growth for me," Jones said. "Loyola prepared me and taught me how to be brave in uncomfortable situations and taught me how to be strong even when I felt completely alone and exhausted. I also had the opportunity to study abroad in Rome during the summer of 2017, and although that experience lasted only six weeks and I will be in Germany upwards of six months, I feel much more equipped to navigate life abroad because of my experiences at Loyola."
 
Life in Germany hasn't been all about softball for the former Loyola teammates, however. They have been able to travel and experience and enjoy places like Lucerne, Switzerland and Walhalla.
 
Both Jones and Ivey said they plan on returning to Germany next year to continue coaching and playing, while continuing to have the experience of a lifetime.
 
"Playing in Germany is still surreal to me," Ivey said. "There are days I have to take a minute because I feel as if I am in a dream."