OKLAHOMA CITY – USA Softball is proud to announce the final rosters for the 2019 USA Softball Men’s National Team (MNT) and Women’s National Team (WNT) for the Pan American Games. Each 15-player roster will compete in Lima, Peru, with the MNT taking the field July 25-August 1 and the WNT competing August 4-11.
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For the MNT, Kevin Castillo (Long Beach, Calif.), Jenner Christiansen (Hayward, Calif.), Joel Cooley (St. Paul, Minn.), Yusef Davis (Long Beach, Calif.), Jonathan Lynch (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), Tony Mancha (Las Cruces, N.M.), Nick Mullins (Toms River, N.J.), Jeff Nowaczyk (Midland, Mich.), Erick Ochoa (Imperial, Calif.), Matt Palazzo (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), Matt Ratliff (American Fork, Utah), Gil Saenz (El Paso, Texas), Cam Schiller (Prescott, Ariz.), Marcus Tan (Union City, Calif.) and Duane Weiler (Richland, Pa.) have been named to the 15-member roster. Tyler Bouley (Champlin, Minn.), Tyler Dudley (Battle Creek, Mich.), Jon Gwizdala (Bay City, Mich.) have been named as replacement players.Â
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“We have high expectations for our squad going into the Pan American Games in Lima,†said MNT Head Coach, Gregg Leather. “We don’t know much about the host team Peru, but we know the other teams well and every game will be a tough battle. The field of teams is so evenly matched, I can see anyone winning it all or missing the playoffs entirely. Venezuela, Argentina and our squad finished on the medal stand in the qualifier but as everyone has seen at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship, Mexico and Cuba have greatly improved and can beat any team in the field. We know we will have to be on top of our game and show up at the park ready to go every day if we want to reach our goals.â€
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For the WNT, Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.), Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.), Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.), Rachel Garcia (Palmdale, Calif.), Sahvanna Jaquish (Highland, Calif.), Haylie McCleney (Morris Ala.), Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla), Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), Dejah Mulipola (Garden Grove, Calif.), Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.), Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas), Janie Reed (Placentia, Calif.), Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.), Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) have been named to the 15-member roster. Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.), Jazmyn Jackson (San Jose, Calif.) and Shelby Pendley (Rio Rancho, N.M.) have been named as replacement players.
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“It’s not easy when you have to choose 15 among 18 great athletes,†said WNT Head Coach, Ken Eriksen. “The nice part for us is that all 18 will be with us all summer, but it just so happens to be that the roster for the Pan American Games has to be 15. This is a very tight group, and we will use the Pan American Games as a motivator going into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Trials and then the 2020 tour.â€
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Currently, the MNT is competing at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic. Following the World Championship, the team will head the Pan American Games looking to medal for the first time since 2003. In eight Pan American Games participated in, the U.S. has claimed the Silver Medal in all but one event, falling just short the podium in their last appearance in 2015 with a fourth-place finish.
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Prior to taking to the field in Lima, the WNT will participate in the Japan All-Star Series June 22-25 and then the USA Softball International Cup, July 1-7 in Columbus, Ga. The team will break briefly before heading to Lafayette, La. July 20-24 and Houston, Texas July 25-30 for training and exhibition games against Scrap Yard Fast Pitch, an independent professional softball team. Information on exhibition games will be announced at a later date. From Houston, the WNT will participate in the Pan American Games, where Team USA has been nothing short of dominant. In 10 appearances at the Pan American Games, the WNT has compiled an all-time record of 93-4 with eight Gold Medal and two Silver Medal finishes.
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*All Pan American Games roster nominations are pending final approval of the United States Olympic Committee.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.Â
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As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
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