OKLAHOMA CITY - The USA Softball Men’s National Team will travel to Altamonte Springs, Fla. this week to compete in the International Men’s Fast Pitch softball tournament conducted by the International Sports Group Union (ISGU), the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today. The USA Men are using the event as a tune up for the International Softball Federation (ISF) XIII Men’s World Championship that will be held in New Zealand in March.
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“It is extremely important that we utilize this weekend to understand rotations and playing responsibilities,†said USA Head Coach Pete Turner. â€œI look forward to this first step in our journey.â€Â
Team USA will begin the 28-team tournament in Pool A along with three other teams; Sopotocientos, Padres and Braves. Pool play games will take place on Thursday and Friday with teams seeded into a single-elimination bracket scheduled to begin on Saturday. The semifinals will take place at 10 a.m. ET(I’m assuming Eastern time) on Sunday with the Championship slated for noon. All games will take place at the Seminole Softball Complex and Merrill Park in Altamonte Springs.
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Among the 28 teams competing in this weekend’s tournament are the National Teams from Venezuela, Panama and Puerto Rico as well as teams from around the United States.
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This tournament will be the final opportunity for the USA Men to prepare as a group before leaving for Auckland, New Zealand on February 22.
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Athletes competing for the USA Softball Men’s National Team in 2013: Tommy Crouch (DeKalb, Ill.), Frank E. DeGroat Jr. (Ringwood, N.J.), Roman Foore (Rosemount, N.J.), Jaime Cruz Garcia Jr. (Kansas City, Kan), Josh Johnson (Brooklyn, Wis.), Trevor Kelly (Marshall, Mich.), Eddy Ketelhut (Frankenmuth, Mich.), Adam LaLonde (Ashland, Ky.), Dave Lohman (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), Gerald Muizelaar (Grand Forks, N.D.), Matt Palazzo (Des Moines, Iowa), Travis Price (Orange, Calif.), Robert Rosthenhausler (Tucsan, Ariz.), Todd Schultz (Williamston, Mich.), Marcus Tan (Union City, Calif.), Chase Turner (San Jose, Calif.) and Derrick Zechman (Watsontown, Pa.).
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Pete Turner (Stockton, Calif.) leads the way in his twelfth year as the head coach and is joined by assistant coaches Avon Meacham (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Jason Porto (Elk Grove, Calif.).
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Follow ASA Softball on FB, www.facebook.com/ASAUSASoftball, for in-game updates as well as ASAUSA Softball on Twitter, www.twitter.com/ASAUSASoftball. Following the games, photos and re-caps will be available at www.USASoftball.com.
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About ASA The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 200,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.  About USA Softball USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steven Embree | ASA/USA Softball
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications 2801 NE 50th | Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Work: 405-425-3422 | Cell: 405-207-1004 E-mail: sembree@softball.org | Web: www.usasoftball.com
