OKLAHOMA CITY — The 2019 USA Softball Championship Play season is officially underway as teams set their sights on coveted USA Softball National and Territorial Championship Finals. Teams in the adult and youth divisions for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch will take to the fields between July – October as over 100 National and Territorial Championship Finals will take place coast-to-coast.  “As the leader in the sport of softball, USA Softball has a proud history and tradition unmatched by any softball association in crowning champions,†said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Craig Cress. “By participating in National and Territorial Championship Finals, teams are joining a legacy of over 400 individuals in the National Softball Hall of Fame who were once just like them, competing for a USA Softball championship. On behalf of USA Softball, I want to wish all those teams competing this summer the best of luck on their journey to National and Territorial Championship Finals.† The USA Softball Junior Olympic (JO) division crowns the first round of champions as Territorial Championship Finals kick off as early as July 16. From there, USA Softball will crown the “Big Six†National Champions in the Girls’ 10-Under East (Johnson City, Tenn.), 10-Under West (Broken Arrow, Okla.), 12-Under (Normal, Ill.), 14-Under (Roseville, Calif.), 16-Under (Salem, Va.) and 18-Under (Montgomery, Ala.) Class A divisions July 22-28. The 18-Under and 16-Under Girls’ GOLD National Championships (Plano, Texas) and remaining Territorial National Championship Finals will take place July 28-August 4.  Teams have begun to qualify for the majority of USA Softball National and Territorial Championship Finals through their state/metro association while GOLD National Championship berths are continuing to be awarded at GOLD qualifying tournaments. A total of 48 berths will be awarded in both the 16-Under and 18-Under GOLD National Championships. Twenty-six GOLD National Championship qualifiers remain for the 2019 season and are held throughout each of USA Softball’s 10 Regions while berths have already been awarded to the following teams:  16-Under GOLD Qualified Teams Diamond Sports Hotshots – Carter+ Foothill Gold – Pfeiler Louisiana VooDoo 16U+ NorCal Bownet -Banister New Jersey Fight TX Glory – Naudin*  18-Under GOLD Qualified Teams All-American Mizuno Gold Carolina Cardinals – Chandler+ Centex Buzz 18U Gold – Holdbrook Footholl Gold - Stinson GCB 18U Louisiana VooDoo 18U+ Ohana Tigers – Bailey Team GA Gold – Henning* Texas CF Intruders Gold Texas Rapid Fire Gold Rock Gold*  * Returning berths + National Office allocated berth  Boys’ and Girls’ Slow Pitch National Championships will conclude the Championship season for the USA Softball JO Division. For the boy’s division, the 10-Under, 12-Under, 14-Under, 16-Under and 18-Under Slow Pitch National Championships are slated for August 1-4 in South Bend, Ind., while the same ages for the girls’ division will be held in Sioux Falls, S.D.  In addition to the JO division, several adult National and Territorial Championship Finals will be determined in all three classifications of play. The Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship (St. Joseph, Mo.), Men’s Masters 40-Over and Men’s Senior 50-Over (Payson, Ariz.) and Senior Slow Pitch East National Championships (Burlington, N.C.) kick off the adult division Champion season while the Men’s Senior 60-Over Fast Pitch (Payson, Ariz.) will bring the 2019 season to a close.  For more information on USA Softball National Championships, please visit USASoftball.com. |
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