FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2014
USA Softball names 2014 Men’s Fast Pitch National Team roster to compete for World Championship/Pan American Games berths
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America/USA Softball announced today the roster for the 2014 USA Softball Men’s Fast Pitch National Team that will compete this October in the Pan American Games and International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championship qualifier in Parana, Argentina.  Ten initial athletes were named to the team in February and the seven remaining selections earned their spot competing at the ASA/USA Men’s Major National Championship in South Bend, Ind. over the weekend.
Click here to see the complete 2014 USA Softball Men’s National Team roster
Denny Bruckert (Gillespie, Ill.) will lead the National Team and be assisted by Greg Hicks (Bakersfield, Calif.), Gregg Leather (Staten Island, NY) and Nick McCurry (Ashland, Ohio) throughout the year.
“I think we have put together a really nice squad,†said Bruckert. “We named the initial ten guys earlier this year and had some great competition for the remaining seven spots. We decided to go with just three pitchers which is a bit different but we’re confident in each of their abilities to take the ball and throw a number of innings. We selected a lot of speed guys and we have some players who will come off the bench and do great things for us. I also like the mix of veterans and new guys that this team has.â€
Ten players are returning from the 2013 squad that finished eighth at the ISF World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. In October’s event the team will look to qualify for both the 2015 World Championships to be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada as well as the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada. Men’s Fast Pitch makes its return to the Pan American Games for the first time since 2003 when Team USA took the Silver.
In addition to the Pan American Games/ISF World Championship qualifier, the 2014 USA Softball Men’s Fast Pitch National Team will compete in a Labor Day tournament in Elkland, Pa. August 29 – September 1.
For more information on the USA Softball Men’s Fast Pitch National Team and to follow their events throughout the year, visit www.USASoftball.com.
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 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA SoftballÂ
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 the 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 including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com. Â
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About ISF
Headquartered in Plant City, Florida (USA), the ISF is a member of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the world governing body for the sport  which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and SportAccord (formerly the General Association of International Sports Federations). Softball (women’s fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 127 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.
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Steven Embree | ASA/USA Softball
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
2801 NE 50th |Â Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Work:Â 405-425-3422 | Cell: 405-207-1004
E-mail: sembree@softball.org | Web: www.usasoftball.com
