Gator Nation set to welcome return of three Gator alums as part of 2021 "Stand Beside Her" tour, presented by MLB.

March 15, 2021

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Gator Nation set to welcome three Gator alums as part of 2021 "Stand Beside Her" tour, presented by Major League Baseball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


March 15, 2021
Web Release: Link

 

TAMPA, Fla. –– The 2021 “Stand Beside Her” tour, presented by Major League Baseball (MLB), returns tomorrow as the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) will square off against No. 5 Florida at 6 p.m. ET. Played at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, Gator National will welcome the return of Gator greats Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.) and Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.), who each graduated from Florida following storied careers. Previously welcomed back by Gator Nation last February, Team USA and the Gator alums faced off against Florida as part of the “Stand Beside Her” tour, where the Red, White and Blue posted a 5-3 victory.
 
The solo contest will conclude the WNT’s Clearwater, Fla. training session and will provide much-needed preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games, where the sport of softball returns to the Olympic Program for the first time since 2008.
 
Team USA heads to Gainesville with a 6-0 record on the 2021 “Stand Beside Her” tour, presented by MLB, allowing just six runs in their six contests while totaling 46 runs of their own. The U.S. pitching staff continues to shine on the tour with a combined 48 strikeouts while Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) leads the pack with 19 strikeouts, followed by Ally Carda with 16 and Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif.) with 12.
 
At the plate, Team USA’s Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.) is currently riding a three-game hit-streak heading into Gainesville, picking up seven hits in six games with four home runs.
 
Tickets for the U.S. WNT vs Florida matchup will be limited to 2021 Florida Softball season ticket holders due to COVID-19 restrictions, however the contest will be streamed through SEC Network + with live stats also available on USASoftball.com. Florida will communicate ticket information to 2021 Florida Softball season ticket holders.
 
The 18-player roster will be without Rachel Garcia, Dejah Mulipola and Bubba Nickles as well as assistant coaches Laura Berg, Howard Dobson, Tairia Flowers and Heather Tarr who all remain with their respective collegiate teams. Joining Head Coach Ken Eriksen to assist with coaching will be Laura Ricciardone, Kyla Holas and two-time Olympian Kelly Kretschman.
 
View the 2020-21 U.S. Olympic Softball Team roster

 

Media interested in acquiring additional information should contact Morgan Palmer (mpalmer@usasoftball.com).
 

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.