Ken Eriksen continues his run as USA Softball’s head coach this weekend when he’ll meet up with the rest of the team and prepare for the XVI Pan American Games that take place Oct. 17-23 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“To represent your country, listen to the National Anthem on foreign soil and compete for a gold medal are all very uplifting opportunities,” Eriksen said. “We plan on doing all three with great integrity.”
Eriksen and Team USA certainly have momentum on their side after winning a gold medal at the World Cup of Softball VI in Oklahoma City.
“This Eagle team is flying pretty high right now,” Eriksen said.
Eriksen knows there is much work to do before the team gets a chance to continue its success in his first year at the helm.
Team USA will be training for five days in Texas and playing a few exhibition games at the University of Houston. Team USA plays a doubleheader against Texas A&M on Sunday and will be tested by Houston on Tuesday.
Eriksen said the training days will be a time to remold the bond of Team USA, which returns 15 of the 17 players that were on the World Cup squad.
“You are trying to get your dugout in order, your camaraderie back,” he said. “We’ve been away for a long time. The comfort level of the first few days is really important before we get seriously competitive down in Guadalajara.”
The team has a lot to live up to once it gets to Mexico.
Past American teams have totaled an overall record of 78-3 since softball debuted at the Pan American Games in 1979 and have won seven titles at the event.
“That 78-3 record is a phenomenal testament to the teams that played,” Eriksen said. “We have a completely new group of players. We’re just trying to make them believe that they can represent the United States like the teams in the past.”