Oklahoma City, OK - ASA/USA Softball announces 2016 Women's National and Elite Teams
OKLAHOMA CITY - Following a selection camp, 18 athletes have been
selected to represent the Red, White and Blue on the 2016 Women's
National Team (WNT) this summer while an additional 18 athletes have
been named to the USA Softball Women's Elite Team the Amateur Softball
Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today. Held at
Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif., 40 athletes participated in the
selection camp where they were evaluated by members of the Women's
National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC), who selected the two
18-person rosters.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2016
ASA/USA Softball announces 2016 Women's National and Elite Teams
OKLAHOMA CITY - Following a selection camp, 18 athletes have been
selected to represent the Red, White and Blue on the 2016 Women's
National Team (WNT) this summer while an additional 18 athletes have
been named to the USA Softball Women's Elite Team the Amateur Softball
Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today. Held at
Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif., 40 athletes participated in the
selection camp where they were evaluated by members of the Women's
National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC), who selected the two
18-person rosters.
"This was definitely the deepest pool of athletes that have been to a
National Team Selection Camp since 2010," said Women's National Team
Head Coach Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./Head Coach South Florida). "I think
this proves that our youth movement as far as participation numbers goes
is very healthy in the U.S."
Click here for the complete 2016 USA Softball Women's National Team and
Women's Elite Team rosters
<http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Team-USA/Women >
Representing the U.S. this summer as a member of the WNT are 12
returning veterans from the 2015 roster which claimed the World Cup of
Softball X title and finished second at the Pan American Games in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Three rookies also join the squad, while
three athletes were a member of the 2015 USA Softball Junior Women's
National Team that claimed the Gold at the WBSC Junior Women's World
Championship. Members of the WNT will compete later this summer in the
World Cup of Softball XI, the XV World Baseball Softball Confederation
(WBSC) Women's World Championship in Surrey, B.C., Canada and the Japan
Cup.
Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./Head Coach at USF) will lead the National Team
and will be joined by Howard Dobson (Baton Rouge, La./Asst. Coach at
LSU), Trisha Ford (Fremont, Calif./head coach at Fresno State) and John
Rittman (Lawrence, Kansas) as Assistant Coaches.
In addition to the 2016 WNT roster, the WNTSC has also announced the
roster for the Women's Elite Team, which will participate in a series of
exhibition games against the Women's National Team in addition to the
World Cup of Softball XI. The Women's Elite Team will also participate
in exhibition games at the USA Softball JO Cup in Marietta, Ga.
Comprising the Women's Elite Team are 11 athletes who have experience in
the Red, White and Blue on either the 2015 Women's or Junior Women's
National Teams, while seven rookies will get their first taste of
international experience this year.
"The next step is taking this group of 36 athletes and continue to
develop them to be a mature group of ball players that can understand
the international game and its strategies," said Eriksen. "I think we
have what we need as far as position players and pitching depth to feel
pretty good going into the future. Now, it's whether they have the
capacity, as our returning veterans have proven, to take this more
serious than ever before."
Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz./Head Coach Cal State Northridge) will lead
the Elite Team as the Head Coach and will be joined by Laura Berg
(Corvalis, Ore./Head Coach Oregon State), Kristie Fox (San Diego,
Calif./head coach at UT- Arlington) and Gina Vecchione (New Rochelle,
N.Y./Cal Poly Associate Head Coach), who will serve as Assistant
Coaches.
A full list of National Team events, including exhibition games, will be
released at a later date. Fans can follow along with the USA Softball
National Teams all year long at www.ASAUSASoftball.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 70 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/.
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
