Lima, Peru — Members of the 2019 USA Softball Men’s National Team (MNT) have arrived in Lima, Peru, where the team sets its sights on claiming Gold at the Pan American Games. Held every four years, the U.S. has earned seven silver medals dating from 1979-2003, while falling just shy of the podium with a fourth-place finish at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.
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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, earlier this season. “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 saw 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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Coming off a fifth-place finish at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championship in June, the world-ranked No. 6 U.S. MNT opens play against No. 8 Venezuela on July 25 before facing No. 24 Cuba (July 27), No. 5 Argentina (July 28), No. 47 Peru (July 29), and No. 9 Mexico (July 30). Playoffs will take place July 31 – August 1, with the Championship Game slated for 2 p.m. local time on August 1.
Click here to view the schedule for the United States
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Of the 15 athletes named to the Pan American Games roster, Kevin Castillo (Long Beach, Calif.), Tony Mancha (Las Cruces, N.M.), Nick Mullins (Toms River, N.J.), Matt Palazzo (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), and Marcus Tan (Union City, Calif.) return from the 2015 Pan American Games squad.
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“Our goal, most importantly, is to be on that stand wearing Gold,†said Tan. “Fans should keep an eye on the U.S. because we have worked so hard over the last four years since Toronto in preparation for this. We didn’t finish how we wanted to at the World Championship, but that fuels us to strive harder for our country and bring home the Gold!â€
Click here for the complete 2019 USA Softball Men's National Team roster
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The U.S. team is led by Head Coach Gregg Leather (Staten Island, N.Y.), along with assistant coaches Ron Guzman (Salinas, Calif.), Greg Hicks (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Gerald Muizelaar (Grand Forks, N.D.). Leather and Hicks served as assistant coaches at the 2015 Pan American Games, while Muizelaar competed for the Red, White and Blue. |
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