WORLD CUP IN OKLAHOMA CITY
For Immediate Release: 2/10/10
World Cup of Softball returns to Oklahoma City; Tickets on sale NOW!
OKLAHOMA CITY — International softball returns to the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City when the 2010 USA Softball Women’s National Team takes on Canada, Japan and the USA Futures Team at the 5th World Cup of Softball, July 22-26.
“There is nothing like the World Cup,” said two-time Olympian Jennie Finch. “It is the best environment and my favorite event each year. I look forward to competing at the greatest softball complex in the World and in front of the World’s Greatest Fans. I get chills just thinking about it again and am really looking forward to returning to Oklahoma City.”
Tickets now on sale! Click here http://www.softballoutlet.com/shop_tickets.asp
“We are proud to welcome world-class softball back to Oklahoma City for this premier event in International women’s fast pitch softball,” said ASA Executive Director Ron Radigonda. “The World Cup of Softball has proven to be one of the premier events in the softball community, attracting the highest level athletes from across the country and the world. For our athletes, the World Cup provides one of the only opportunities to play before a home crowd with ‘USA’ written across their chests so we hope people come out to the stadium to make this experience special for them.”
Expected to represent Team USA are two-time Olympians Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman and Natasha Watley, who helped lead the U.S. to the Gold Medal in Athens and Silver Medal in Beijing. Members of 2008 Olympic Silver Medal winning team also scheduled to play in the 5th World Cup of Softball are Olympic silver medalists Monica Abbott, Andrea Duran, Vicky Galindo, Lauren Lappin and Caitlin Lowe. The official roster for USA Futures will be chosen by the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee and will be named at a later date to be announced.
“The USA Futures team will be a great way to identify the future pipeline of our National team program,” added Radigonda.
All session reserved ($75) and all session general admission ($40) tickets are on sale now by calling 1-800-654-8337 or by visiting http://www.softballoutlet.com/shop_tickets.asp. Also on sale now is the Ultimate Fan Zone package ($275), which includes a meal with Team USA as well as an autograph session with the team that is only open to Ultimate Fan Zone ticket holders. The Ultimate Fan Zone also includes an all-session reserved seat in the premier section of ASA Hall of Fame Stadium for every game of the World Cup, a personalized replica USA jersey, and free parking. Single session tickets will go on sale at a later date. (See schedule below).
“The World Cup of Softball gets more exciting each and every year and 2010 is no exception,” said two-time Olympian Jessica Mendoza. “Where else can you see the best softball in the World and see the U.S. face off on home soil? Only at the World Cup in Oklahoma City. The fans have always been outstanding and we hope to put on quite a show come July.”
Canada, Japan and the USA played in the 2009 KFC World Cup of Softball 4 with the Americans taking the Gold Medal. Canada defeated Japan to take the Bronze Medal. After the World Cup in July 2009, Japan faced Team USA again at the Japan Cup Sendai City, Japan. In the championship, Finch drove in the game’s only two runs in the first inning, and held a no hitter into the seventh inning. The Americans also faced Canada twice at the 2009 Pan American Championship Qualifier in Maracay, Venezuela, in August 2009. In the first match-up, Team USA suffered their only loss of the 2009 season, but came back to upset Canada in the Gold Medal Game.
Note: All games will be played at the main stadium field and times are subject to change.
Thursday – July 22
7:00 PM USA vs. Canada
9:00 PM Japan vs. USA Futures
Friday – July 23
3:00 PM Canada vs. USA Futures
7:00 PM USA vs. Japan
9:00 PM Canada vs. Japan
Saturday – July 24
11:00 AM USA vs. USA Futures
7:00 PM USA vs. Japan
9:00 PM Canada vs. USA Futures
Sunday – July 25
Noon Japan vs. USA Futures
4:00 PM USA vs. Canada
7:00 PM USA vs. USA Futures
9:00 PM Japan vs. Canada
Monday- July 26
4:00 PM #3 vs. #4
8:00 PM #1 vs. #2
The 5th World Cup of Softball is sanctioned by the International Softball Federation, the governing body of softball internationally as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
Tickets can be purchased through the ASA merchandise website at http://www
Spy Note: These dates were originally set aside for the XII ISF World Championship, which ISF President Don Porter switched to Caracas. 16 teams are expected in Caracas, June 23 to July 2.
WWC SITE VISIT PLANNED
ISF President Don Porter has appointed the XII Women’s World Championship Coordination Commission. ISF Secretary General Ms. LOW Beng Choo (MAS), ISF VP/North America E.T. Colvin (USA), and ISF Regional Umpire Coordinator/Latin America Julio Hellburg (AHO) along with ISF Director of Competition Laurie Gouthro will make their initial visit later this month (Feb. 25th & 26th), to Caracas, Venezuela, the site of the June 23-July 2, 2010 event .
The event logo, mascot, and official website are expected to be completed and approved shortly.
GREAT BRITAIN NEEDS SOFTBALL COACHES
BaseballSoftballUK is looking for softball coaches who are available between April and August 2010 to aid the development of softball in the UK.
We are looking for coaches with a good knowledge of softball who have had some experience coaching the sport and can deliver coaching sessions to children and adults. Much of the work done by the coaches will be in schools and youth academies as well as with local clubs.
Coaching positions are available in the North West and South East of England, London and the West Midlands. The Federation will assist with living arrangements and costs, flights to and from the UK if necessary and basic work and living expenses.
This experience has been a valuable means for coaches to develop their coaching abilities, add to the quality of their CV, enjoy an excellent coaching experience and have fun delivering sessions in the sport they love. It may also be possibly for a coach to play softball while here.
However, applicants should be aware that hard work is involved, including afternoons and evenings when players are available. Also, many clinics and Academy sessions take place over weekends.
The dates of these appointments are up for negotiation between the months of April and August. To apply for one of these summer coaching positions please email John Mills ( john.mills@bsukmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to ask for an application form.
The deadline for applications is March 31, 2010.
COMMITMENTS
Riviera Beach Spirit Gold
Kelly Trimble (2010-C/1B) – NLI Maryland
Kayla Martinez (2010-P/INF) – Verbal UMBC
Megan Hyson (2011-P) – Verbal Georgetown University
SEC COACHES PREDICTIONS
Conference Champion: Alabama (6), Florida (3), LSU (1) and Georgia (1)
Western Division
1. Alabama (12 points)
2. LSU (17 points)
3. Auburn (33 points)
4. Mississippi State (39 points)
5. Ole Miss (40 points)
6. Arkansas (54 points)
Eastern Division
1. Florida (13 points)
2. Georgia (18 points)
3. Tennessee (25 points)
4. Kentucky (34 points)
5. South Carolina (46 points)
WELL DESERV ED HONOR
Bobby Johns, an outstanding football player for the Crimson Tide, and husband of Mississippi State assistant coach Karen Johns, will be inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame on May 22. A few of us were privileged to watch those greas Bama teams on which Bobby played. The Alabama game I remember most was when Joe Willie Namath and Leroy Jordan emasculated Oklahoma.
LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARDS
Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Announces Candidates for NCAA® Division I Softball
February 09, 2010
(Overland Park, KS) – Thirty NCAA® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were tabbed as candidates today for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School™, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
This year’s candidate class includes 10 student-athletes on teams ranked in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) preseason top 25 poll and 10 players who finished the 2009 season as Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans. Five candidates were on the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team in 2009. Nineteen of the candidates carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award™ winner at the NCAA Women’s College World Series® in June.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.
“These young women are committed to their studies and to their teams’ success on the diamond,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing. “They also have consistently contributed to important service projects in their communities, making their collegiate experiences that much richer.”
This marks the fourth year for the softball division of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. University of Florida pitcher Stacey Nelson received the award for the 2009 season and Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher took home the 2008 honor. In 2007, University of Arizona outfielder Caitlin Lowe won the inaugural softball award.
Softball 2010 Candidates
| Name | Position | School |
| Becky Anderson | Pitcher | George Mason University |
| Blair Bodenmiller | Shortstop | Florida Atlantic University |
| Chelsea Bramlett | Catcher | Mississippi State University |
| Mandy Correale | Third Base | College of the Holy Cross |
| Lauren Delaney | Pitcher | Northwestern University |
| Michele DePasquale | First Base | Hofstra University |
| Francesca Enea | Left Field | University of Florida |
| Christa Fullwood | 1B | Gardner-Webb University |
| Ashley Griffith | Outfield | Pennsylvania State University |
| Alissa Haber | OF | Stanford University |
| Becca Heteniak | P/DP | DePaul University |
| Liane Horiuchi | Shortstop | Purdue University |
| Tiffany Huff | Catcher/First Base | University of Tennessee |
| Nina Iduate | Infield | Georgia Southern University |
| Alyson Intihar | Infield | Cornell University |
| Molly Johnson | Shortstop | University of Kentucky |
| Megan Langenfeld | Pitcher/First Base | UCLA |
| Alyson McWherter | OF | University of Washington |
| Molly Meyer | Outfield | University of Dayton |
| Elizabeth Milian | Pitcher | Ball State University |
| Janay Mitchell | Outfield | Bradley University |
| Charlotte Morgan | designated player/pitcher/first base | University of Alabama |
| Nikki Nemitz | LHP | University of Michgian |
| Marissa Nichols | Outfield | UNLV |
| Tara Oltman | Pitcher | Creighton University |
| Nicole Pauly | Second Base | Northwestern University |
| Kellie Sirus | First base-third base | Lipscomb University |
| Brittany Stanley | Pitcher / Designated Player | Campbell University |
| Stacie Townsend | Pitcher/Utility | University of Texas at El Paso |
| Erin Tresselt | Pitcher | University of Texas |
THE STORM
An additional 10-18 inches of snow is falling today on the DC Metro area, shutting down the government, schools, airports and most businesses. Many roads remain unplowed from the previous storm last weekend. Wind gusts of 25-40 mph turn the blowing snow into icy particles which feel like needles. Hope to be dugout before Palm Springs.
Some photos of the snow are posted on Picasa/Rayburn
