OKLAHOMA CITY –– USA Softball announced today the list of athletes invited to participate at the 2021 USA Softball U-18 Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) Selection Trials to be held June 22-25 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla. Those athletes who accepted the invitation to try out will vie for a spot on the 2021 U-18 JWNT roster, which will compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 World Cup in Lima, Peru August 28 – September 5 and the Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla, Columbia November 25 – December 5. 

Click here to view the list of athletes participating at the 2021 JWNT Tryouts

Due to the postponement of the WBSC U-18 World Cup, which was originally scheduled to take place in August 2020, the WBSC extended the age eligibility to allow athletes who were eligible for the 2020 event with the opportunity to participate in the rescheduled event this year. With the extended age eligibility, the invitee list includes current college freshman, high school student-athletes and athletes selected from the USA Softball High Performance Program (HPP). Highlighting the list of invitees are two members of the 2019 U-17/18 USA Softball JWNT, Avery Hodge and Haidyn Sokoloski, who also participated in a HPP local identifier and Region 5 event. The invitee list is subject to change as additional athletes could be invited by the JWNTSC at any time.

During the selection process, athletes will participate in position drills as well as simulated games and be evaluated by the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team Selection Committee (JWNTSC). Athletes who earn a spot on the 2021 USA Softball U-18 JWNT roster will look to claim a fourth-consecutive WBSC Junior Women’s World Championship title, having won the previous three World Championships in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Additionally, the 2021 roster will compete for the gold medal at Junior Pan American Games.

Kyla Holas (Pasadena, Texas) will serve as Head Coach of the 2021 U-18 JWNT after leading the 2019 U-17/18 JWNT to a gold medal at the U-17 Women’s Pan American Championship in Barranquilla, Columbia. Assisting Holas with coaching duties for the 2021 season is Suzy Brazney (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Lisa Navas (Tarpon Springs, Fla.).

The roster for the 2021 USA Softball JWNT will be announced at the conclusion of the tryout. For more information on the JWNT, visit USASoftball.com.

The Selection Trials are open to the public with free admission.

Media wishing to attend the 2021 U-18 JWNT Selection Trials are required to abide by USA Softball’s Accreditation and Media Policies, which can be found at 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.