Women’s National Team named a Finalist for Team USA Olympic Team of the Year

October 15, 2019

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Women’s National Team named a Finalist for Team USA Olympic Team of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2019 Web Release: Link

OKLAHOMA CITY –– The USA Softball Women’s National Team has been selected as a recipient for the 2019 Team USA Olympic Team of the Year following a dominating 2018-2019 season that was nothing short of GOLDen.
 
Team USA finished with a 20-0 record in 2018, securing a No. 1 world ranking and a World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Softball World Championship Gold Medal to become the first U.S. team to secure a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The Red, White and Blue finished the World Championship tournament with a 10-0 record, earning five shutout victories and outscoring their opponents 71-13. The U.S. claimed the world title with a 7-6 walk-off victory over world-ranked No. 2 Japan. The win marked the 11th world title for the WNT program, continuing the storied legacy as the most decorated program in international softball.
 
The Gold Medal trend continued in the 2019 season as Team USA landed atop the podium in each competition, securing the Gold Medal at the USA Softball International Cup, Pan American Games and Japan Cup.
 
The WNT went 6-1 at the International Cup, recording their one loss to world-ranked No. 2 Japan after a late sixth-inning score from the Japanese. Team USA bounced back with two wins over Mexico and Puerto Rico for a second shot against Japan in the Gold Medal game, their fifth meeting of the 2019 season. The U.S. came out on top this time in a closely contested battle for the 2-1 comeback victory, securing back-to-back International Cup Gold Medals and their first of the 2019 season.
 
The Red, White and Blue captured their second 2019 Gold Medal with a 7-1 record at the Pan American Games, forcing four shutout victories and outscoring their opponents 32-5. Team USA suffered their one loss to Canada in a 3-2 nail biter but called redemption as they met them for a third time of the tournament, this time for the Gold. The U.S. claimed the title with a 3-1 victory over Canada, becoming the first-ever softball team to win nine Pan American Games titles.
 
The WNT capped off the 2019 international season in dominating fashion, going undefeated with a 4-0 record at the Japan Cup to clinch their third-consecutive Gold Medal of the season. The U.S. opened the tournament with a 13-0 (four innings) run-rule over No. 15 Czech Republic and an 8-0 (six innings) run-rule over No. 6 Chinese Taipei. Their third victory of the tournament sealed them a spot in the Championship Game with an 8-2 win over No. 2 Japan. The Japanese would bounce-back to the Medal game for what would be the final meeting between world-ranked No.1 USA and No. 2 Japan prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. A three-run first inning was enough to secure Team USA with the 3-2 Gold Medal victory, proving the USA Softball WNT as the GOLDen girls of the summer.
 
In addition to the USA Softball WNT, the U.S. Equestrian Jumping Team, U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team and U.S. Men’s 4x100 meter Track and Field team are also candidates for the 2019 Team USA Olympic Team of the Year.
 
The Team USA Awards, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes year-round, are voted on by NGB representatives and select members of the media for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Oct. 28.

About USA Softball
USA Softball (USAS) 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 & Paralympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USAS sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations.  USAS 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.  USAS annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USAS umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game. 

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USAS 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 USAS, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.