Oklahoma City, OK - Four-time Olympian Laura Berg to lead 2017 USA Softball Junior Women's National Team
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today that four-time Olympian Laura Berg (Corvalis, Ore./ head coach at Oregon State) has been selected as the Head Coach for the 2017 USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) that will compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Junior Women’s World Championship (JWWC) in July of 2017 in Clearwater, Fla.
Four-time Olympian Laura Berg to lead 2017 USA Softball Junior Women's National Team
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today that four-time Olympian Laura Berg (Corvalis, Ore./ head coach at Oregon State) has been selected as the Head Coach for the 2017 USA Softball Junior Women's National Team (JWNT) that will compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Junior Women's World Championship (JWWC) in July of 2017 in Clearwater, Fla.
"I'm very excited to lead the Junior Women's National Team and honored to once again wear the Red, White and Blue," said Berg. "I'm looking forward to working with a special group of young athletes that will have an unforgettable experience as we defend Team USA's Gold Medal finish at the 2015 WBSC JWWC. Go USA!"
Berg, USA Softball's only four-time Olympian, recently finished her fourth season as an Assistant Coach with the USA Softball Women's National Team. As a member of the coaching staff, Berg helped lead the Red, White and Blue to three Gold Medal finishes at the World Cup of Softball, two WBSC World Championship Silver Medals and a Silver at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. Berg also has previous experience with the JWNT program as an Assistant Coach for the 2013 JWNT that earned a Silver Medal at the 2013 WBSC JWWC in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
As a player on the USA Women's National Team, Berg is one of four women who hold three Olympic Gold Medals. Considered to be one of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game, Berg helped the United States to a Gold Medal at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and also holds an Olympic Silver Medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition to competing in four Olympic Games, Berg also played in four WBSC World Championships, and three Pan American Championships, all of which were Gold Medal finishes.
Berg is currently in her fourth season as the Head Coach at Oregon State University. Prior to her duties at Oregon State, she spent time as an Assistant Coach at her alma mater, Fresno State.
In addition to Berg's selection as the Head Coach for the 2017 JWNT, the complete coaching staff has also been selected. Joining Berg as Assistant Coaches are Trisha Ford (Fremont, Calif./head coach at Fresno State), Kristie Fox (San Diego, Calif./head coach at UT- Arlington), and John Rittman (Valencia, Calif./Softball Consultant). Athletes for the 2017 USA Softball JWNT will be selected at a later date following a National Team Selection Camp.
For all of the latest information on all of the USA Softball National Teams visit www.ASAUSASoftball.com.
About ASA/USA Softball
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation's largest sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. ASA/USA is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please visit http://www.asausasoftball.com/.
About the World Baseball Softball Confederation
Headquartered in the Olympic Capital city of Lausanne, Switzerland, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) was established in April 2013 and granted recognition as the sole competent authority in baseball and softball by the International Olympic Committee at the 125th IOC Session in September 2013. The WBSC represents a united baseball/softball sports movement that encompasses over 65 million athletes worldwide. The WBSC governs all international competitions involving any of the National Teams of its 141 National Federation members. The WBSC oversees the Softball World Championships, The Premier 12, the World Baseball Classic, and the U12, U15, U18, U21 and Women's Baseball World Cups. For further information, please go to www.WBSC.co or follow the WBSC on Twitter at @WBSC.
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Codi Warren I Managing Director of Communications
Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball
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