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Matt Palazzo honored with 2015 USA Softball Male Fast Pitch Athlete of the Year accolades

January 30, 2016

Oklahoma City, OK - Matt Palazzo honored with 2015 USA Softball Male Fast Pitch Athlete of the Year accolades


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2016

(Photo: Courtesy of ASA/USA Softball)

Matt Palazzo honored with 2015 USA Softball Male Fast Pitch Athlete of
the Year accolades

OKLAHOMA CITY - After a successful 2015 international season, Matt
Palazzo (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) has been named the 2015 USA Softball Male
Fast Pitch Athlete of the Year the Amateur Softball Association
(ASA)/USA Softball announced today. This marks the second time in his
storied career as a member of the USA Softball Men's National Team that
Palazzo has been honored. The No. 3 batter in the U.S. lineup played in
every competition for the Red, White and Blue last summer, helping the
U.S. to a ninth-place finish at the World Baseball Softball
Confederation (WBSC) Men's World Championship in Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, Canada and a fourth-place finish at the 2015 Pan American
Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

"It's a tremendous honor to be chosen as the USA Softball Male Fast
Pitch Athlete of the Year," said Palazzo. "Anytime you can put on Red,
White and Blue and compete for your country is an amazing moment and the
feeling of pride never goes away. The 2015 season was an amazing year
for our Men's National Team at both the WBSC Men's World Championship
and Pan American Games. Although we didn't finish where we wanted, we
know we can compete with the top teams in the world and we positioned
ourselves for the future success of the program. We've got a great
group of guys and a wonderful coaching staff and without them this award
wouldn't have been possible."

One of the most respected hitters in the international game, Palazzo
compiled a .693 on-base percentage during the WBSC Men's World
Championship and led the team with seven runs scored. The power-hitter
finished the Championship with a .217 (5-for-23) average, five walks,
one home run and two RBI. Palazzo carried that success over to the
2015 Pan American Games, reaching base eight times out of 17 attempts to
finish with a .812 on-base percentage and a .294 (5-for-17) batting
average. In addition to his offensive production, Palazzo also served
as a mainstay in the U.S. defense and committed zero errors at first
base.

"Congratulations to Matt on being named the 2015 USA Softball Male Fast
Pitch Athlete of the Year," said Head Coach Denny Bruckert (Gillespie,
Ill.). "Matt's strong leadership and playing abilities are a key for
Team USA. Matt ranks right up there with any of the great players in
the international softball world, and we're very proud to have him not
only represent Team USA, but our program and organization."

For the summer, Palazzo finished with a .250 (10-for-40) batting average
with one home run, four RBI and nine runs scored. His best performance
of the summer was against the Netherlands during the WBSC Men's World
Championship, where he finished 1-for-3 with a walk, one home run, one
RBI and two runs scored. Palazzo broke open a scoreless ball game with
a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to give the U.S. an early
1-0 lead. He would also come around to score in the bottom of the sixth
to plate the third run for the U.S.

To see an entire recap of the 2015 season for the USA Softball Men's
National Team, please visit ASAUSASoftball.com
<http://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/team-usa/men > .

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 <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.co

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