32 women invited to try out for World Cup Team

She's Ready to Play Baseball:

a blog of women's baseball. Yes, baseball.

Lairderg

Location: Turnersville, New Jersey, United States
Birthday: June 26

Bio: Yes, that's me, ringing up a little mojo for my Fightin' Phils during the 2008 World Series. I grew up, in 1950s and 60s suburbia, with the heart of a frontierswoman. I grew up a Catholic with the heart of a seeker of the Divine Feminine. I grew up a girl and a woman, when being either "just wasn't good enough," with the heart of a warrior priestess of a warrior goddess. My favorite television shows are (from the mid 90s) Profiler, (from the early 21st Century) Witchblade, and (now) Saving Grace, so you know where my mind still is. I was a journalist before big advertising bullies started owning the media and quit (after a long, loud battle) when I saw what they were doing. I was the oldest, and the most eccentric, of seven children in an Irish American family. I married, divorced, and now have a significant other. I am a "budding" herbalist, a mother of four avians (My poor Keenan died recently.), a guerilla gardener, an adjunct professor of pre-composition college writing, a poet, a fiction writer, a creative non-fiction writer, a feature writer, and now a player and a blogger of women's baseball.

MY RECENT POSTS

60 Days to Support This Women's Baseball Film
April 03, 2011 02:39PM
Japanese women undefeated, take gold in Phoenix Cup
January 24, 2011 12:15PM
Japan's Far East Bloomers predictably dominate second day
January 22, 2011 12:24PM
Asia Insurance Phoenix Cup Women's Baseball begins
January 21, 2011 03:14PM
Putting a real face on Gannett's November layoffs
November 09, 2010 08:40AM

MY RECENT COMMENTS

“OMG! I can hear her voice saying all this, too, which is REALLY scary, but the la…”
March 30, 2011 01:19PM
“Wow! I have a timid hope we can still get out of this, but thank you for the warn…”
March 05, 2011 01:18PM
“How many times do we hear of male athletes (especially, but not exclusively, foot…”
February 02, 2011 06:16PM
“This "idea" is crap. Even prolife people who have a brain in their head…”
February 02, 2011 06:00PM
“I'm so glad you wrote this. I agree, and I intend to do whatever in my power (not…”
January 28, 2011 10:43AM

Lairderg's Links

New list: American Women's Baseball Federation; Philadelphia Women's Baseball League; USA Baseball Women's National Team; Salon

« Back to Posts

JULY 13, 2010 5:08PM

Rate: 0 Flag

18 will be picked to represent USA at fourth World Cup of Women's Baseball to be played in Venezuela.

martisementelli-ladodgers-ceremonial-pitch-07-07-10

Marti Sementelli, shown here throwing out ceremonial first pitch at Dodgers Stadium July 7, 2010, will vie with 31 others to make the 18-player Team USA roster.

http://girlsplaybaseball.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/marti-sementelli-ceremonial-pitch-la-dodgers-july-7-2010-by-larry-goren/

After hosting regional tryouts in six states this summer, USA Baseball has announced its Trials Roster of 32 players who will compete for 18 final roster spots on the 2010 USA Baseball Women's National Team. The trials, scheduled for August 2 through 5, will be conducted at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, NC. The team will be announced on www.USABaseball.com following the completion of trials Aug. 5.

Once chosen, Team USA members will head to Venezuela where they will meet 11 other teams in the Interational Baseball Federation's fourth World Cup of Women's Baseball. The other teams will include perennial women's baseball powerhouses Japan, Canada, and Australia, as well as previous contenders Chinese Taipei, South Korea, and Hong Kong. World Cup newcomers will include teams from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, and Venezuela. In the three previous World Cups, the Team USA women earned two golds (2004 in Canada and 2006 in Taiwan) and a bronze (2008 in Japan).

Venezuela's host cities for the event include Araure, Barinas, San Felipe, and Guanare.

The Trials Roster was selected from regional tryouts, with the following number of number of players chosen at each location: Orlando, Fla., 3; New London, Conn., 2; Cary, N.C., 4; San Francisco, Calif., 8; Phoenix, Ariz., 8, and Lombard, Ill., 7.

Returning for the 2010 trials are 11 players from the 2008 Women's National Team. Members of the Trials Roster are:

Veronica Alvarez, catcher and infielder from Miami, Fla.; Katie Cleary, catcher and pitcher from Sacramento, Calif.; Karen Costes, outfielder and infielder from Glastonbury, Conn.; Jenny Dalton-Hill, infielder from Lexington, Ky.; Laura Espinoza-Watson, infielder from Wilmington, Calif.; Natasha Galecki, infielder and outfielder from Warrenton, Va.; Sarah Gascon, infielder from Ranco Palos Verdes, Calif.; Tara Harbert, outfielder from Niwot, Colo.; Alex Hebert, catcher and infielder from Webster, N.Y.; Tamara Holmes, outfielder from Oakland, Calif.; Nichole Holt, outfielder from Camarillo, Calif.; Lindsay Horwitz, pitcher from Gurnee, Ill.; Lilly Jacobson, outfielder from Reno, Nev.; Anna Kimbrell, catcher, infielder, and pitcher from Fort Mill, S.C.; Jenna Marston, pitcher and outfielder from St. Louis, Mo.; Wynne McCann, pitcher and infielder from Gilbertsville, Pa.; Meggie Meidlinger, infielder and pitcher from Sterling, Va.; Brooke Meyer, pitcher and infielder from Naperville, Ill.; Clarisa Navarro, pitcher and infielder from La Joya, Texas; Miali Reynoso, pitcher and infielder from San Jose, Calif.; Taylor Ryan, infielder and outfielder from Villa Park, Ill.; Ghazaleh Sailors, infielder and pitcher from Santa Barbara, Calif.; Gabby Sanchez, (left-handed) pitcher from Sacramento, Calif.; Marti Sementelli, pitcher from Sherman Oaks, Calif.; Brionna Skinner, infielder from Pittsboro, N.C.; Loren Smith, pitcher from Tampa, Fla.; Christin Sobeck, pitcher from Alpena, Mich.; Sarah Strohl, outfielder and pitcher from San Diego, Calif.; Ashley Sujkowski, pitcher and outfielder from Rossford, Ohio; Malaika Underwood, infielder from San Diego, Calif.; Renee Willette, infielder from Oakland, Calif., and Jennifer Zielke, infielder and outfielder from Chicago, Ill.

The coaching staff include Don Freeman, manager, from Battle Ground, Wash.; coaches Sandra Wente of Coolidge, Ariz., and Ed Kurakazu of Phoenix, and pitching coach Tim O'Brien of Columbia, Md.

Get the word out about these elite competitors. If there's a player on this roster from your hometown, let your local newspapers know about her.

I have contacted ESPN, which I know televises games from the Venezuelan national league, and I received an email back that someone will see what can be done. I won't hold my breath, but this time it might just happen. Even an occasional mention on the crawl line would be better than nothing. Stay tuned.