OKLAHOMA CITY — Seventeen athletes have been selected for the 2013 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT), the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today. The athletes selected hail from 10 states: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. The team will compete in preparation exhibition games in Glenville, West Virginia on June 24 before heading to the International Softball Federation (ISF) X Jr. Women’s World Championship (19-and-under), July 1-7, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. In conjunction with the exhibition game in Glenville, the West Virginia ASA will host a youth clinic on June 25. Tickets for the event in West Virginia and information on the youth clinic are available at http://wvaasa.com/.
Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz./head coach Cal State Northridge) will lead the Red, White and Blue into the summer as they look to defend the World Championship Gold Medal they won in 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa. Along with Flowers, four-time Olympian Laura Berg (Corvalis, Ore./head coach Oregon State), Trisha Ford (Fremont, Calif./head coach Fresno State), and Lisa Dodd (San Diego, Calif./head coach at UNLV) will join the coaching staff in Canada.
“Our staff is excited to lead these ladies into the World Championship arena this summer as we look to keep the tradition of USA Softball at the top of the podium alive,” said Flowers. “Being a part of this program is life changing and I am thrilled to work with this talented group of young athletes from all over the country. To represent your country in your sport is the highest honor and together we will work hard to be the best we can be and bring home the gold.”
2013 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team Roster
Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif./All-American Sports Academy)
#Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio/Gold Coast Hurricanes/Tennessee)
Andrea Hawkins (Bay City, Texas/Texas Impact Gold/Alabama)
Cheridan Hawkins (Anderson, Calif./Sorcerers Gold/Oregon)
Sierra Lawrence (Snellville, Ga./Atlanta Vipers/Michigan)
Haley McCleney (Morris, Ala./Gold Coast Hurricanes/Alabama)
Danica Mercado (Temecula, Calif./SoCal Athletics/Oregon)
Jessica Plaza (Huntington Beach, Calif./SoCal Athletics/Stanford)
Erin Shireman (Pearland, Texas/Texas Impact Gold/Texas)
Lee Ann Spivey (Palm Coast, Fla./Gold Coast Hurricanes/South Florida)
Lauren Young (Anaheim, Calif./Batbusters/Arizona)
Paige McDuffee (The Woodlands, Texas/Texas Impact/UCLA)
Sierra Romero (Murrieta, Calif./Batbusters/Michigan)
Mysha Sataraka (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kaikamahine/UCLA)
Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan./Wichita Mutangs/Florida)
Emily Crane (Troy, Mo./St. Louis Chaos/Missouri)
Jailyn Ford (Hot Springs, Va./Williamsburg Starz Gold/James Madison)
*Nancy Bowling (Simi Valley, Calif./Batbusters/Arizona)
*Kelly Hanzel (Houston, Texas/Texas Impact)
*Erica Nunn (Apex, N.C./Wagoners Gold/South Florida)
# Member of 2011 Junior Women’s National Team
*Alternate athletes
“On behalf of everyone at the ASA/USA Softball, I am excited to welcome the next generation of USA Softball National team athletes,” said ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Ron Radigonda. “Our Junior Women’s program has a rich history, having won four Junior Women’s World Championships including the Gold Medal in 2011. I know the 17 young women selected for the 2013 Junior Women’s National Team will continue the tradition of excellence in USA Softball. I congratulate them and wish them well in Canada and beyond.”
The identification process begins with athletes that are identified to the player pool from observations at the ASA Junior Olympic National Championships, the National Identification Program through Softball Factory, recommendations from college coaches, high school coaches and ASA Junior Olympic (JO) Coaches. The player pool is made up of athletes that have been determined by USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) as an elite softball player in the appropriate age group.
Forty athletes comprised the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team player pool. The 17 athletes and three alternates listed above were selected for the team by the five-member USA (WNTSC). The selection process is listed here on the USASoftball.com website..
The 19-Under age requirements for an ISF Junior Women’s World Championship are listed below as noted from the ISF Technical Code, Article 2, World Championships Competition.
2.08 Junior Championships are the age of 19 and under. At the World Championships for junior men and women, the age qualification is determined as of the 31st of December of the year prior to the championship. If a player reaches his/her 19th birthday any time during the year of the championship, that player is eligible for the Junior World Championship.
Year of Eligibility:
2012 1993
2013 1994
2014 1995
2015 1996
Click here to read the ISF Technical Code Reference ISF Technical Code Reference.
For more information about the Junior Women’s World Championship, visit the tournament website Junior World Championship Website.