Rosie was born in 1963 and had five brothers. She graduated from Oak Lawn High School in 1981. Senior year, she was co-captain of the volleyball and softball teams. Also, she was voted to the SICA All-Conference Team and was Oak Lawn High School’s Most Valuable Player in volleyball. She was also named to the SICA All-Conference Team in softball and was selected as Oak Lawn’s Co-Most Valuable Player. She was also voted Oak Lawn’s Most Athletic female.
Rosie graduated from Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) with an Associates Degree in Science and an Associates Degree of Applied Science in Electrical Construction. However, her true passion was participating in sports. In 1983, she was captain of the MVCC softball team and co-captain of the volleyball team. Rosie was a NJCAA Region IV First Team All Regional and Second Team All-Conference volleyball player. Also, she was voted Moraine’s Most Valuable Player in volleyball. In softball, she was a First Team All- Conference player and was selected as Moraine’s Most Valuable Player. She was voted Female Athlete of The Year at Moraine and earned the prestigious Doug Gehrke Award, given for her service and dedication to athletics.
Rosie has participated in sixteen-inch softball for over forty years. During the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, she played shortstop for the Bidayos and helped them win many tournaments and league championships with Coach Ron Hurry. Then she began playing with the Bratpack and Blaze and helped these talented teams win many championships as well. Around 2007, she began playing for the Hangovers with Coach Colleen Elliott who had won numerous tournaments and league championships over the past decade. She presently plays with the Hangovers in Hickory Hills, South Side Diva’s in Mount Greenwood, and coed teams the Bohica’s and Spirits in Oak Lawn.
Throughout her career, she often played four nights a week for multiple teams. Some of the other teams Rosie played with over the years included the following: Foxes, Bad Company, Bandits, Has Beens, Outcasts, Loose Cannons, and Patio.
Rosie has been selected as MVP and All Tournament for the following:
- 1993 USSSA (Country Club Hills) Best Defensive Player / All Tournament
- 1994 Quest for the Best / Best Defensive Player / All Tournament
- 1994 USSSA (Country Club Hills) / All Tournament
- 1995 Quest for the Best / Best Defensive Player / All Tournament
- 1996 ASA Class A Tournament of Champions MVP / All Tournament
- 1996 Quest for the Best /All Tournament
- 2000 Best of Western MVP (Scott Hurley Memorial Award)
- 2003 World Series (Country Club Hills) MVP
- 2006 Best of Western MVP (Scott Hurley Memorial Award)
- 2014 Best of Western MVP (Scott Hurley Memorial Award)
- 2016 Best of Western MVP (Scott Hurley Memorial Award)
Rosie credits her fiancé, Tom Seidel, with dramatically improving her defensive skills. He took the time to hit her hundreds of ground balls a week; the repetition helped her refine her skills. Also, she credits Tom with giving her a much deeper understanding of all aspects of the game.
Other Athletic Achievements
Rosie was the head softball coach at Moraine Valley Community College for seven years with her fiancé, Tom Seidel, as the assistant. They coached the team to three conference titles in 1998, 1999, and 2000. She was named the “Skyway Conference Coach of the Year” for those years.
Rosie played women’s flag football for fourteen years with the “Flavors” coached by Tom Seidel. In 1999, she was inducted into the St. Louis National Flag Football Hall of Fame. Lastly, she was an avid distance runner competing in many 5K and 10K races and completed the Chicago Marathon in 1981, finishing fifth in her age group.
Rosie is extremely grateful to God for giving her a passion for softball. Due to difficult family circumstances while growing up, playing softball every summer kept her “out of trouble” and gave her something positive to focus on.