FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2022 Web Release: Link PARANÁ, Argentina –– The official game schedule for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) XI Men’s Pan American Championship has been released. Held April 24-30 in Paraná, Argentina, Team USA will join Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela in the six-day competition with its sights set on earning a qualifying spot in the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup set to take place November 26 – December 4 in Auckland, New Zealand. The ten participating countries will open the Men’s Pan American Championship in two groups with the top three teams in each group advancing to the Playoff Round. The U.S. enters the tournament in the No. 3 spot and will compete in Group B alongside No. 2 Argentina, No. 6 Canada, No. 7 Colombia and No. 10 Puerto Rico while No. 1 Venezuela, No. 4 Mexico, No. 5 Cuba, No. 8 Guatemala and No. 9 Dominican Republic will battle it out in Group A. |
Team USA will begin Opening Round on Sunday, April 24 at 9 p.m. ART against No. 2 Argentina followed by matchups against No. 10 Puerto Rico (April 25 at 6 p.m. ART), No. 6 Canada (April 26 at 9 a.m. ART) and No. 7 Colombia (April 27 at 6 p.m. ART). Following the conclusion of Preliminary Round, the top three finishers from each group will advance to the Playoff Round with the final two countries at the top of the leader board going head-to-head in the Men’s Pan American Championship Final on Saturday, April 30. The third and fourth-place teams will compete for the bronze medal earlier that day.
The Top 4 finishers in the standings will advance to the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup set to be held in Auckland, New Zealand from November 26 – December 4. The four qualified countries will join No. 3 Australia, No. 4 Czech Republic, No. 5 New Zealand, No. 9 Denmark, No. 10 South America, two teams from Asia and a wild card selection. Live stream and stats coverage will be announced at a later date.
Head Coach Ron Hackett sits at the helm of the 2022 Men’s National Team following his two-year stint as an assistant coach for the program and is joined by assistant coaches Nick McCurry (Ashland, Ohio), Gerald Muizelaar (Grand Forks, N.D.) and Michael Hoadley (Holden, Mass.). Taking the place of formerly announced assistant coach Ron Guzman, Hoadley joins the Team USA coaching staff following a 20-year playing career that consisted of various National Championship appearances and All-American selections. Additionally, Hoadley has been a member of the USA Softball MNT player pool numerous times throughout his playing career.
The 16-player MNT roster competing in the Men’s Pan American Championship was announced last November following selection by the Men’s National Team Selection Committee (MNTSC). To view the full roster, visit USASoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball (USAS) 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 & Paralympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USAS sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations. USAS 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. USAS annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USAS 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, USAS 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 USAS, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
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