It is a dream which has started to feel less like a wild fantasy and more like an achievable possibly after returning from her first tour with the senior Australian team earlier this month.

Kearnes was stunned to be selected for the Aussie Spirit side which visited Kochi, Japan, for a tour billed by Softball Australia as an opportunity to blood some of the country’s best young players ahead of next year’s World Championships.

Australia faced off against professional Japanese outfit Iyo Bank, club side Hirabayashi and Sonoda University.

The young side finished with mixed results, but Kearnes, who largely played in a strictly batting role, said it was invaluable for her development.

“I learned so much just being around all the players I idolised as a kid,” she said.

“Playing with them and learning from them, nothing can beat that.

Kearnes said she would take a break from softball for “a couple of months”, before returning to training in a bid to push for selection ahead of next year’s World Championships in Chiba, Japan.

The Wagga teenager also hopes to play for Australia alongside her sister, Layhnee, and said she was thrilled to learn her younger sibling had cracked the NSW under 17 team last month.

“I’m so excited for her,” Kearnes said.

“She’s worked extremely hard and deserves a lot of credit for what she’s achieved.”