Karis Taleff made a dream come true for her family when she stepped up to bat this week in Estadio Softbol Jorge Amin Manzur in Colombia.

The sophomore's high school softball team at Cardinal Newman is temporarily navigating their schedule without her in the lineup. But it's for a good cause.

Taleff was chosen to represent Colombia in the U-18 2024 Women’s Pan American Championship Tournament. She is one of four players called up from the U-15 team she played for last spring.

The tournament is a qualifier for the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup and ends Saturday. All games are broadcast live on GameTime.sport.

Colombia rebounded from an opener loss to Mexico with a 12-1 win over the Dominican Republic and continued the success Tuesday against No. 29 Argentina. Helping win Team of the Day, Taleff went 2-for-3 with a triple and a single in the 11-0 victory.

How Taleff made her way back to Colombia

Taleff's journey with Colombia, ranked 39th in the world, first began about two years ago.

"My dad had told me about the initial tryout for the Colombia team and my parents and I flew to Cartagena, Colombia, in December of 2022. I was selected to play for the 15U team in the Pan American Tournament in Lima, Peru. Then, I spent my spring break of 2023 in Barranquilla, Colombia, practicing for the tournament," Taleff said.

"Playing in Peru was definitely one of the best experiences of my life and I made so many memories that I will never forget."

Taleff recalled feeling "honored and proud to be able to come back and relive that experience" when she found out the news.

"Watching her play anywhere is always great but seeing her play in South America in front of thousands of people in a completely packed stadium is unbelievable," Taleff's father, Jeffrey, said. "Kids and parents alike approach her after games and ask for pictures and autographs like she’s a celebrity."

"It really is a dream come true for our family that she has this opportunity to compete on an international level, representing her mother’s birth country of Colombia."

Inside the experience

Ahead of player arrivals on March 28, the Colombian Softball Federation lined up room, board and travel expenses for those chosen to make the trip for the championship in the capital of Cordoba, Montería, in northern Colombia. The 16 girls selected make fast friends at the team hotel, rooming together and lounging by the pool when they aren't hitting the road for daily two-hour practices, games or team dinners.

Families hoping to tag along, on the other hand, have to front their own accommodations.

Taleff knows she's "blessed to have a very supportive family," one of few able to look out into the crowd to see both of her parents and the inspired eyes of her younger twin sisters.

"So far, I have loved it and I feel like I have really experienced new things in new environments from these trips," Taleff said.

One of the most "special" experiences Taleff soaks in when she gets to see her non-English speaking teammates is being able to learn from each other in different languages.

"Personally, I’m not fluent in Spanish, but I’ve always wanted to be since my mom’s side of the family only speaks Spanish," Taleff said. "I wish I knew more to be able to speak with them."

"But ultimately, my favorite thing about this all is the friends and memories I make with them," Taleff said.

"Meeting new people and getting close with them throughout the trip is so fun and I will never forget it."

A steppingstone to the collegiate scene

"I would venture to say her very best friends have been made through softball," her father said.

Taleff, a third baseman and utility, got her start playing youth ball with the Lady Gators program in Palm Beach Gardens.

She's since grown into a 2026 prospect swinging .500 on the varsity fields. For the Crusaders, who are 9-2 this season, Taleff is tied for a team-high 20 runs on 16 hits — three doubles, five triples and two home runs — and 16 RBIs.

“Karis brings speed to the field and has great knowledge of the game,” Newman coach Angela Garcia said. “She has the second-most RBIs and home runs on the team and has the third-best on-base percentage on the team.”

“(Cardinal) Newman is excited as she embarks on an international journey, representing not just skill but the spirit of the game across borders."

"She was a very shy girl around other kids when she was younger," Jeffrey Taleff said. "Playing softball really started to give her confidence and bring her out of her shell."

Eventually, through the friends made from across the United States and now the globe, Taleff knew that softball was something she wanted to pursue beyond graduation, as far away as it may seem.

Although colleges can't officially recruit her until Sept. 1 of her junior year, accolades like being selected to the Colombian national team make that goal even more possible.

"I’m in contact with many colleges over the NCSA recruitment app and I've been to many college camps from Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and New York," Taleff said. "While this experience has been absolutely amazing and I would repeat it every year I can regardless, I do feel that international experiences such as this definitely help give me an edge up in the recruiting process and stand out to these college coaches."

"It would mean everything to me to be able to play the sport I have loved since I was 6 years old at a college level."

Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cardinal Newman's Karis Taleff seeking championship with Colombian national team