USA Softball announces coaching staff and five exposure events for 2018 Junior Men’s National Team

From Codi Warren, Managing Director of Communications, USA Softball

OKLAHOMA CITY – USA Softball announced today the complete coaching staff for the USA Softball Junior Men’s National Team (JMNT), who will spearhead five select exposure camp opportunities for athletes who wish to be a member of the 2018 USA Softball JMNT. Selected from the USA Softball Men’s National Team (MNT) Coaching Pool, the coaches selected will join Head Coach Tyron McKinney (Ashland, Ohio) as the team builds towards to the 2018 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Junior Men’s World Championship.

On the coaching staff are Tony Aresco (Stoneham, Mass.), Mike Armitage (Normal, Ill.) and Bob Piddock (Castro Valley, Calif.).  Aresco, who was a member of the 1998 USA Softball MNT athlete pool, has over 30 years of experience coaching men’s fast pitch and has led his teams to four USA Softball National Championship titles. Armitage played for over 18 years at the highest level of men’s fast pitch, earning First Team All-American honors as a player in USA Softball National Championship play before transitioning into a coaching role at the conclusion of his playing career.  Piddock has coached fast pitch softball in a variety of capacities for the last 25 years, where he has led teams to eight USA Softball National Championships.

In addition to the complete coaching staff, USA Softball has also announced five exposure events for the 2018 JMNT that will provide athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of members of the JMNT coaching staff.  The five exposure events are open to any male U.S. citizen born in 1999, 2000, 2001 or 2002 who can commit to future team events.  There is a $15, non-refundable registration fee for athletes who are not registered through their respective USA Softball association. Participants are responsible for their own equipment and expenses to the tryouts, and applications must be submitted one week prior to the start date of each event.  With events spread throughout the United States, athletes will participate in a series of softball-related skills for each position, hitting and bunting.

“I would like to congratulate Mike, Bob and Tony on being named to the coaching staff for the Junior Men’s National Team Program,” said McKinney. “They are a valuable key to the program’s success.  I am looking forward to getting the ball rolling with these exposure camps and preparing our 2018 athletes for the Gold!”

Below is the minimum standards for athletes to register for the JMNT open tryouts:

Infielders/Outfielders (must meet each of the following)

• Bat Speed – 50 mph minimum
• Run (home to first) – 2.95 seconds maximum
• Run (home to home) – 12.5 seconds maximum
• Throwing Speed – 55 mph minimum
• Pushups – 30 minimum

Pitchers (consistent speed for any three of the following)

• Fastball – 63 mph minimum
• Riseball – 60 mph minimum
• Change up – 45 mph maximum or 18 mph slower than maximum pitch speed
• Curveball – 60 mph minimum
• Dropball – 63 mph minimum

Catchers (must meet each of the following)

• Throw (home to second) – 2 second maximum
• Throwing Speed – 55 mph minimum
• Bat Speed – 50 mph minimum
• Run (home to first) – 2.95 seconds maximum
• Run (home to home) – 12.5 seconds max
• Pushups – 30 minimum

Click here to register for an exposure event

For more information on the USA Softball National Team Programs, visit USASoftball.com.

2018 USA Softball Junior Men’s National Team

Exposure Events

Editor’s Note:  The deadline to register for each of these camps is one week prior to the event.   That means that the deadline for the first one, in Northern California on May 20-21 is barely a week away, on May 13.

About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million.  USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

About the World Baseball Softball Confederation 

Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland — the Olympic Capital — the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the world governing body for baseball and softball. WBSC has 213 National Federation and Associate Members in 142 countries and territories across Asia, Africa, Americas, Europe and Oceania, which represent a united baseball/softball sports movement that encompasses over 65 million athletes and attracts approximately 150 million fans to stadiums worldwide annually.

The WBSC governs all international competitions involving official National Teams. The WBSC oversees the Softball World Championships (Men, Women, U-19 Men, and U-19 Women), Premier12, World Baseball Classic, and Baseball World Cups (U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23 and Women’s).

For more information, visit: www.wbsc.org