Oklahoma City, OK - ASA/USA Softball to add 16-Under division for 2016 USA Softball JO Cup
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2015
ASA/USA Softball to add 16-Under division for 2016 USA Softball JO Cup
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and
USA Softball is proud to announce the addition of a 16-Under division
for the USA Softball Junior Olympic (JO) Cup, a one-of-a-kind youth fast
pitch invitational tournament. This newly added division will join the
18-Under age group starting in the 2016 season. Slated to be held July
25-30 in Marietta, Ga., the USA Softball JO Cup serves as a National
Team identification opportunity for athletes wishing to compete in front
of members of the Women's National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC).
The 32 teams from each division of play will also be competing for a
prize pool with the top finishers receiving a cash donation award back
to their participating 501c3 program.
"When we launched the USA Softball JO Cup, we listened to our customers,
teams and coaches and tried to give them what they desired," said
ASA/USA Softball Director of Championships Chris Sebren. "We had a
great event for our 18-Under teams in Chino Hills, Calif. and have built
off that success with ongoing discussions over the last several months
with our coaches. Adding the 16-Under age division to provide
additional National Team identification opportunities came out of those
discussions, so we are moving forward with that division for this coming
year."
Invitations will go out at the beginning of the 2016 season to the top
teams in the 16-Under and 18-Under divisions, with 32 of the nation's
elite softball clubs competing in the event. Hosted by Georgia ASA/USA
Softball, invitations for the USA Softball JO Cup will be sent out based
on prominent ranking systems. Scheduled to take place following the
2016 ASA/USA GOLD National Championships
<http://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/play-asa/gold-national-championships > , the USA Softball JO Cup is a National Invitational Tournament (NIT)
and will follow a five-game guarantee, blind-draw tournament format.
Once pool play is completed, teams will enter into bracket play to
compete for a prize pool with the top finishers receiving a cash
donation award back to their respective 501c3 program.
In addition to competing for a prize pool, participating teams will also
have the opportunity to compete in front of members of the Women's
National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC). With the possibility of
softball and baseball returning to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, this
tournament will further serve as an identification tournament for the
USA Softball National Team Program.
"The addition of a 16-Under Division allows ASA/USA Softball to provide
another great opportunity for our Team USA Coaching Staff to evaluate
potential Junior and National Team talent," said Women's National Team
Head Coach Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla.). "It doesn't get any better than
seeing this talent pool in a very competitive environment."
ASA/USA Softball recently announced the list of identified athletes from
the 2015 USA Softball JO Cup, which was held in Chino Hills, Calif. In
total, 69 athletes were identified as either 2017 Junior Women's
National Team age-eligible or as Women's National Team age-eligible.
These athletes will enter into the identification pool with other
athletes who have been previously identified at various ASA/USA events,
the National Identification Program through Softball Factory,
recommendations from college coaches, high school coaches and ASA/USA
Junior Olympic (JO) Coaches. To see the list of identified athletes,
please click here
<http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/News/2015/December/04/USA-Softball-releases-list-of-identified-athletes-from-2015-USA-JO-Cup > .
For more information on the USA Softball JO Cup, please visit
www.USAJOCup.com.
About ASA/USA Softball
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is
the National Governing Body Softball in the United States and a member
of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation's largest
sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every
state through a network of 74 local associations and has grown from a
few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today,
representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. ASA/USA is
responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball
National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions.
The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of only two women's sports
involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold
medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won
nine World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of
Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please
visit http://www.asausasoftball.com/ <http://www.asausasoftball.com/ > .
Codi Warren I Managing Director of Communications
Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball
2801 NE 50th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111
405-425-3431 (O)
Visit Us Online: ASAUSASoftball.com
