DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Embry-Riddle Softball's Mariana Pereira and Raquelli Bianco will compete with the Brazilian national team this fall in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas Softball Qualifiers for a chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
 
Brazil's coach Milton Konno reached out to both players who jumped at the opportunity to play in this year's Americas championships. Bianco has experience competing at the national team level. She played for the team in the South American Championships in 2016. Pereira nearly participated in the 2016 Pan-American games; however, she had to miss out due to academic commitments.
 
Pereira, who hails from Marillia, Brazil, completed her collegiate career with ERAU in 2019 with a stellar senior season. She was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Region teams, along with earning All-Sunshine State Conference honors. She led the Eagles in several offensive categories this season, including batting average (.380), on-base percentage (.482), slugging percentage (.533), hits (52), runs (37 and RBIs (29). While Pereira was primarily a first-baseman for the Eagles, she plans on handling responsibilities behind the plate for Brazil.
 
Bianco, a native of Curitiba, Brazil, is making her return to the softball field after finishing her career with ERAU in 2016, and plans to contribute to the team as a pitcher and first-baseman. She holds several career records for the Eagles, including home runs (16) and slugging percentage (.669). Bianco finished her career with a batting average of .353, 77 RBIs and 83 runs scored. She also made 45 appearances in the circle for ERAU. As a pitcher, she had a career ERA of 3.00 in 249.2 innings pitched with 168 strikeouts. Bianco tossed seven shutouts in her 2015 season which tied a single-season record for the Eagles. She has served as a student assistant for ERAU softball for the past three seasons.
 
"I am very excited to return to the field and represent my country," Bianco said. "My goals are to get into the best shape I can over the summer to prove I can still play the game at a high level and help my team qualify for the Olympics in any way I can."
 
Pereira noted that the team's appearance in the qualifiers and possibly the Olympics can help increase awareness about softball in Brazil. "It's an amazing honor to be able to grow the game," the Eagle first baseman said. "The younger generations see our passion for the sport and it inspires them to want to get involved."
 
"I'm so excited the Raquelli and Mari have the opportunity to compete and represent their country this summer, "ERAU Head Coach Kelsi Dunne said. "It will be a great experience for both of them and they will create everlasting memories. I wish them much luck and success in this opportunity."
 
Pereira plans to return to Brazil to practice with the squad in June. The club will be practicing and competing in warm-up tournaments primarily in the São Paulo, Brazil area. Bianco will stay in Daytona Beach, Florida for the summer and train in the area before joining the team in Canada for the WBSC Americas Qualifiers in August.
 
The WBSC Americas Qualifiers take place in Surrey, BC, Canada from August 25-September 1. The 12 competing countries were split into two groups for pool play. Brazil drew into Group B which includes Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. The top two teams from the tournament ­will go on to play at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.