CHENGDU, China — The U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) has arrived in Chengdu, China, with its sights set on finishing the 2025 season atop the podium at the highly anticipated World Games. Team USA will face off against elite international competition as it looks to capture its fourth consecutive World Games title, having previously won gold in all three official softball appearances: Santa Barbara (1981), London (1985), and Birmingham (2022).
Click here for the schedule, roster, stats, event info & more »
The eight participating countries have been divided into two groups, with world-ranked No. 2 Team USA competing in Group A alongside No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 5 Netherlands, and No. 12 China. Group B features No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Puerto Rico, No. 6 Canada, and No. 10 Australia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on August 16, with the winners moving on to the gold medal game the following day.
Team USA will kick off the action on Wednesday, August 13, against Chinese Taipei at 10 a.m. local time (9 p.m. CT), followed by matchups against the Netherlands on August 14 at 10 a.m. local time (9 p.m. CT) and China on August 15 at 1 p.m. local time (12 a.m. CT) to close out opening round.
The softball competition will feature 20 games over five days of competition, with select games available to watch via livestream at live.theworldgames.org. Free live stats will be available on USASoftball.com.
The 15-player roster includes 13 returners from the 2024 season, including 12 athletes from the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup, where the U.S. earned silver. Skylar Wallace will make her WNT debut after spending the 2024 season with the U.S. Women’s Elite Team, while Jayda Coleman joins the roster following her participation in the 2019 U-19 Women’s World Cup. Also highlighting the squad are four members from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Softball Team that helped the Eagles earn silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games — Ally Carda, Rachel Garcia, Dejah Mulipola and Bubba Nickles. Of the 15 members, seven athletes will return to the World Games stage after competing in the 2022 edition: Carda, Megan Faraimo, Hannah Flippen, Janae Jefferson, Amanda Lorenz, Mulipola, and Nickles. Kinzie Hansen, Lexi Kilfoyl and Aubrey Leach will serve as alternates for the roster.
Featuring 15 former student-athletes from eight universities, the 2025 World Games roster highlights representation from four athletic conferences: SEC (7 athletes), Big Ten (5 athletes), Big 12 (2 athletes), and ACC (1 athlete). UCLA has the highest representation with five athletes, followed by Oklahoma with three and Florida with two. Arizona, Florida State, LSU, Texas and Utah are also represented with one athlete apiece.
Gearing up for her international debut as head coach of the U.S. WNT, Patty Gasso will lead the Red, White and Blue as it aims for gold at the 2025 World Games. Alongside Gasso in China will be JT Gasso and Jen Rocha, who each join the U.S. coaching staff for the first time in their careers. Following her stint as head coach of the U.S. Women’s Elite Team at the 2024 Japan All-Star Series, two-time Olympic medalist Kelly Kretschman will also serve as an assistant coach. Additionally, John Bargfeldt will travel with the team to Chengdu, serving as a member of the support staff.
The Chengdu 2025 Games will mark the fourth official appearance of women’s softball at the World Games, with medals previously awarded in Santa Clara (USA) 1981, London (GBR) 1985, and Birmingham (USA) 2022. The sport was also featured as an invitational event at the Kaohsiung (TPE) 2009 and Cali (COL) 2013 Games.
Softball proved to be one of the most successful sports at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Ala., drawing record-setting attendance for both the overall tournament and a single game. The women’s competition also featured one of the youngest average athlete ages across all sports, at just 25 years old.
To learn more about the U.S. Women’s National Team program, visit USASoftball.com
Photo Credit: World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)