Assistant Coaches named for the 2015 USA Softball Junior Women's National Team Program

November 19, 2014

Assistant Coaches named for the 2015 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team Program

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today the complete coaching staff for the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) for competitions in 2015. With Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz./ head coach at Cal State Northridge) at the head of the Junior Women’s program, joining Flowers as the assistant coaches for the JWNT staff are Trisha Ford (Fremont, Calif./head coach at Fresno State), Kristie Fox (San Diego, Calif./head coach at UT- Arlington) and Tim Walton (Cerritos, Calif./head coach at University of Florida). This marks Ford's second season on the USA Softball Junior Women's Coaching staff while Fox and Walton each make their first appearance as members of the USA Softball coaching staff.

 

"I am thrilled to have these three as a part of the staff," said Flowers.  "As both players and coaches they have proven that they know the game and can get it done at a high level.  It's an honor in itself to be a part of this program, and with this great group I can't be more excited for what's to come in the 2015 season."

 

Ford previously served nine years on the coaching staff at Stanford before taking over the Fresno State softball program in 2013.  In her two seasons at the helm of the Bulldog's program, Ford has led the team to a 61-45 record and finished second in the Mountain West Conference.  In 2013 as a member of the USA Softball JWNT staff, Ford served as the pitching coach, helping the U.S. to an 8-1 record and silver medal finish at the International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women's World Championship. 

 

Going into her third season as the Head Coach at the University of Texas at Arlington, Fox has led the Mavericks to a 46-61 record the past two seasons.  A former All-American and two-time NCAA National Champion at Arizona, Fox was a member of the 2003 USA Softball JWNT that earned silver at the ISF Junior Women's World Championship in Nanjing, China.  She also was a member of the USA Elite Team that earned Gold at the World University Games in Taiwan in 2006.

 

Serving as the Head Coach at the University of Florida since 2006, Walton has led the Gators to several accolades, including an overall 492-114 record.  Under his leadership, Florida became the first Southeastern Conference (SEC) squad to earn four-consecutive NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) berths and he led the program to its first NCAA WCWS National Championship in 2014.    

 

Twenty-two athletes have received invitations to the 2015 USA Softball JWNT Selection Camp, scheduled for January 3-4 at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif. Those athletes who accept their invitations will compete in a series of practices and exhibition games in hopes of making the final 17-player roster that will compete at the World Cup of Softball X in Southern California and the ISF Junior Women's World Championship in Oklahoma City, Okla.  The complete 2015 schedule for the JWNT, including exhibition games, will be announced at a later date.

 

ASA/USA Softball will also hold an open tryout opportunity for players hoping to make the 2015 USA Softball JWNT.  Held January 2, 2015 at Bill Barber Park,  eligible athletes have from now through December 5 to sign up and submit payment through USASoftball.com for the open tryout, which will involve a series of softball related skill drills for each position, hitting and bunting.  The top athletes from the open tryout will be selected to participate at the USA Softball JWNT Selection Camp along with the list of invited athletes.

 

For all of the latest information on all of the USA Softball Junior Women's National Teams 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 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 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 as well as claimed seven World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.

 

 

Codi Warren

 

Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications

Amateur Softball Association of America/USA Softball

Office 405.425.3431 | Cell 405. 420. 2817