POLK COUNTY, Fla. — For the first time in its nine-year history, USA Softball is excited to welcome athletes, coaches, umpires and fans to the state of Florida for the 2023 USA Softball 16-Under and 18-Under Junior Olympic (JO) Cup. Hosted by Polk County, 24 elite teams from across the country will look to bring home the hardware following the five-day tournament, which is slated to take place July 7-11. Pool play and bracket play games for each division will be played at the DiamondPlex Softball Complex (Winter Haven, Fla.) followed by the championship contests held at Florida Southern College’s Chris Bellotto Field (Lakeland, Fla.).
Featuring premier talent in both divisions, this prestigious grassroots event will kick off with a High Performance Program (HPP) Identifier on Thursday, July 6 before a player-experience and coaches dinner will take place at Camp Margaritaville. Pool-play will open the tournament at DiamondPlex Softball Complex (Winter Haven, Fla.) on Friday, July 7 while double-elimination bracket play will begin on Sunday, July 9 where the 2023 Junior Olympic Champions will be crowned at Florida Southern College’s Chris Bellotto Field (Lakeland, Fla.) on Tuesday, July 11. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats and streaming on USASoftball.com.
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As the opening host site, the DiamondPlex Softball Complex carries a well-decorated resume as the home to the NJCAA Polk State College Women’s Softball Team and the 2022 USA Softball 16-Under Class A National Championship. Chris Bellotto Field, the 2023 Junior Olympic Cup Championship site, is no stranger to hosting elite competition as well. As the home to Florida Southern College, this venue served as a host location for the 2020-21 Women’s National Team (WNT) at the pre-Olympic “Stand Beside Her” tour. The state of Florida becomes the sixth state to host the JO Cup, joining California, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina and Oklahoma in such honor.
Crowning 19 champions in its eight year history, the USA Softball JO Cup serves as an chance for evaluation by the USA Softball coaching staff and the Women’s National Team Selection Committee, while also providing unique recruiting opportunities through USA Softball’s partnership with NCSA College Recruiting. For more information on the Junior Olympic Cup, visit USASoftball.com.