CLEVELAND, Ohio – The USA Softball Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams (SPNT) have arrived in Cleveland, Ohio ahead of the 13th edition of Border Battle slated to take place July 28-30 at Brookside Park on Talty Field. Athletes from the USA Softball Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams and Futures Teams will compete in a series of matchups against the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams as well as various grassroots clubs in the action-packed three-day event.
With a series of exhibition games kicking off on Friday, July 28 at 9 a.m. ET, the action will continue through the weekend with the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Slow Pitch National Teams facing off against their respective U.S. Futures Teams in the Slow Pitch Showdown set to take place on Saturday, July 29 beginning at 5:15 p.m. ET. Closing out the weekend with the highly anticipated international matchups between Team USA and Team Canada, the Women’s Border Battle contest is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 30 with the Men’s Border Battle to follow at 11:30 a.m. ET. The three-day event is free to attend and will take place at Brookside Park with games primarily being played on Talty Field in addition to a few games held on Elder Field. A complete schedule can be found on USASoftball.com.
Fans will have the opportunity to follow along with the premiere international Slow Pitch event via live stats and streaming. For all non-USA games as well as the USA Slow Pitch Showdown and Border Battle contests, live streaming will be provided on USASoftball.com. For all Team USA exhibition games, live streaming will be provided via GameChanger. To follow along, be sure to become a fan of each respective U.S. Slow Pitch National Team on the GameChanger app. Live stats will be available for all games via GameChanger.
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Hailing from 10 different states, the 14-player WSPNT roster consists of 12 veterans and 2 rookies who will get their career debut for Team USA. At the helm of the WSPNT for the sixth-consecutive year is head coach Don Cooper (Kent, Washington) who has led the WSPNT to three Border Battle victories and a 2-0 Slow Pitch Showdown record. Alongside Cooper will be returning assistant coaches Shannon Cooper (Kent, Washington) and Tammy Higginbotham (Kent, Washington). Highlighted by 10 veterans and four rookies, athletes from 11 different states will take the field for the Women’s Futures as returning coach Ted Carter (Harrodsburg, Kentucky) will lead the 14-player roster with the help of Shannon Ellingsworth (Louisville, Kentucky), who joins the staff for the first time in her career.
Previously announced by USA Softball, 14 athletes from 8 different states – including 13 veterans – will represent the U.S. MSPNT while Hall of Famer Brett Helmer (Cicero, New York) will lead the squad for the fifth-straight year with the help of assistant coach Tim Barnes (Union Grove, Texas). Led by eight veteran athletes, the Men’s Futures roster will include six rookies set to rep the Red, White and Blue for the first time in their careers as Rob Humphrey (Burlington, Iowa) will return as head coach after leading the Men’s Futures to a 33-25 victory over the MSPNT in the 2022 Slow Pitch Showdown.
The U.S. MSPNT and WSPNT look to claim a fourth-consecutive Border Battle championship title after most recently defeating Team Canada in 2022, where the MSPNT secured a 28-8 win over Canada in addition to an 11-4 win from the WSPNT. The annual international matchup dates back to 2009 when the U.S. MSPNT took home the inaugural trophy and has since posted a 10-2 record against Canada’s Men’s Slow Pitch National Team. The WSPNT joined the action in 2017, recording a 3-1 record over Canada’s Women’s Slow Pitch National Team since its inception.
The highly competitive Slow Pitch Showdown has become a Slow Pitch staple since its induction in 2012, with the MSPNT and the Men’s Futures each winning the matchup four times over the last decade. Following the introduction of the Women’s Futures team in 2019, the Women’s Slow Pitch Showdown has since proven to be a strong matchup with the WSPNT leading 2-0 after a 7-6 win in 2019 and a 9-7 victory in 2022.
For more information on the USA Softball Men’s and Women’s Slow Pitch National Teams programs and to learn about the history of the Border Battle, please visit USASoftball.com.
U.S. Slow Pitch National Teams arrive in Cleveland, Ohio ahead of Border Battle XIII
