OKLAHOMA CITY - The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball is proud to announce the addition of a 16-Under division for the USA Softball Junior Olympic (JO) Cup, a one-of-a-kind youth fast pitch invitational tournament.  This newly added division will join the 18-Under age group starting in the 2016 season.  Slated to be held July 25-30 in Marietta, Ga., the USA Softball JO Cup serves as a National Team identification opportunity for athletes wishing to compete in front of members of the Women's National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC).  The 32 teams from each division of play will also be competing for a prize pool with the top finishers receiving a cash donation award back to their participating 501c3 program.

"When we launched the USA Softball JO Cup, we listened to our customers, teams and coaches and tried to give them what they desired," said ASA/USA Softball Director of Championships Chris Sebren.  "We had a great event for our 18-Under teams in Chino Hills, Calif. and have built off that success with ongoing discussions over the last several months with our coaches.  Adding the 16-Under age division to provide additional National Team identification opportunities came out of those discussions, so we are moving forward with that division for this coming year."

Invitations will go out at the beginning of the 2016 season to the top teams in the 16-Under and 18-Under divisions, with 32 of the nation's elite softball clubs competing in the event.  Hosted by Georgia ASA/USA Softball, invitations for the USA Softball JO Cup will be sent out based on prominent ranking systems.  Scheduled to take place following the 2016 ASA/USA GOLD National Championships, the USA Softball JO Cup is a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and will follow a five-game guarantee, blind-draw tournament format.  Once pool play is completed, teams will enter into bracket play to compete for a prize pool with the top finishers receiving a cash donation award back to their respective 501c3 program. 

In addition to competing for a prize pool, participating teams will also have the opportunity to compete in front of members of the Women's National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC).  With the possibility of softball and baseball returning to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, this tournament will further serve as an identification tournament for the USA Softball National Team Program.

"The addition of a 16-Under Division allows ASA/USA Softball to provide another great opportunity for our Team USA Coaching Staff to evaluate potential Junior and National Team talent," said Women's National Team Head Coach Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla.).  "It doesn't get any better than seeing this talent pool in a very competitive environment."

ASA/USA Softball recently announced the list of identified athletes from the 2015 USA Softball JO Cup, which was held in Chino Hills, Calif.  In total, 69 athletes were identified as either 2017 Junior Women's National Team age-eligible or as Women's National Team age-eligible.  These athletes will enter into the identification pool with other athletes who have been previously identified at various ASA/USA events, the National Identification Program through Softball Factory, recommendations from college coaches, high school coaches and ASA/USA Junior Olympic (JO) Coaches. To see the list of identified athletes, please click here .