OKLAHOMA CITY – Announced Friday by USA Softball, the U.S. Women’s Elite Team will take on top international opponents this summer, including matchups against Great Britain in June followed by the highly-anticipated Japan All-Star Series slated for July. A secondary team to the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT), the U.S. Women’s Elite Teams serves as an opportunity for a wider range of athletes to showcase their skills on the international stage in continuous hopes of reaching the dream of making the U.S. WNT.
Selected Women’s Elite Team athletes will travel to the Softball Capital of the World® to showcase their skills at the U.S. Women’s National Team Camp beginning June 26 and will cap the week-long training camp with two thrilling exhibition matchups against world-ranked No. 13 Great Britain. The two-game series is set to take place at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field and will begin on Saturday, June 29 with a second matchup to follow on Sunday, June 30.
“Together, with head coach Tara Henry, we have set out a strategy that requires us to match up against the very best in the world, and there are not many better than the USA,” said Great Britain Softball Head of Performance, Gary Anderson. “We are really looking forward to this series and seeing GBR players at the Hall of Fame Stadium against Team USA.”
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In addition to the back-to-back matchups against Great Britain, the world-ranked No. 1 U.S. Women’s National Team Program will go head-to-head with No. 2 Japan once again in a three-game series that will take place July 4-8 across three Japanese cities — Nagoya, Fujinomiya and Yokohama. The Japan All-Star Series has provided an exciting experience for softball fans since its inception in 2016 where over 31,000 fans packed the Tokyo Dome while 2017 saw 15,000 fans in the stands at Yokohama Stadium.
Kicking off the action on Thursday, July 4, the U.S. and Japan will face off at Vantelin Dome Nagoya (Nagoya City) followed by a second matchup on Saturday, July 6 at the Mt. Fuji Stadium (Fujinomiya City) which hosted the 1998 Women’s Softball World Championship where the U.S. won gold in a thrilling 1-0 victory over Australia. The two international rivals will cap the three-game series on Monday, July 8 at Yokohoma Stadium (Yokohoma City) where the two teams faced off in the gold medal matchup at the 2020 Olympic Games. Most recently, Team USA suffered a 1-2 series loss to Japan at the 2023 Japan All-Star Series.
“USA Softball is excited to provide these women with the chance to prove themselves on the international stage as we head into the next Olympic Quad,” said USA Softball Chief Sport Development/Performance Officer, Chris Sebren. “Facing off against one of Europe’s top teams in Great Britain as well as Japan will give them the opportunity to gain that international experience.”
Thanks to the hospitality and efforts made by the Japan All-Star Series Organizing Staff, the U.S. will have the opportunity to participate in a series of training sessions ahead of the highly anticipated event while experiencing the culture and traditions of Japan off the field.
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The Women’s Elite Team roster that will compete against Great Britain and at the 2024 Japan All-Star Series will be announced at a later date. For more information on the U.S. Women’s National Team program, visit USASoftball.com.