After a weeklong tryout in Florida, Team USA has announced their 18-member roster for 2019.
Headlining the roster are former Olympic greats Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman, the latter proving successful in her comeback attempt ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games. Abbott played for Team USA in 2018. Both Abbott and Osterman were members of Team USA in 2008, the last time that the sport of softball was played in the Olympic Games, and helped lead the US team to a silver medal in the Beijing Olympics that year.
Team USA veterans Valerie Arioto and Michelle Moultrie – two of the longest-tenured members of Team USA – were both selected to the team, while former Oregon pitcher Jessica Moore was not selected to suit up in the red, white, and blue for the first time in nearly half a decade. Of note, Arioto and Moore are both on the coaching staff at South Florida, working under head coach Ken Eriksen, who also serves as the head coach of the US national team.
Other notable additions to the roster included former Oklahoma slugger Shelby Pendley and reigning NCAA National Player of the Year Rachel Garcia of UCLA.
National team mainstays Ali Aguilar (Washington, ’17); Ally Carda (UCLA, ’15); Haylie McCleney (Alabama, ’16); Aubree Munro (Florida, ’16); Janie Takeda Reed (Oregon, ’15); Delaney Spaulding (UCLA, ’17); and Kelsey Stewart (Florida, ’16) all made the roster, joined by Oklahoma legend Keilani Ricketts (’13); former LSU slugger Sahvanna Jaquish (’17); ex-Florida star Kirsti Merritt (’16); Arizona catcher Dejah Mulipola (’20); and former Cal standout Jazmyn Jackson (’18).
The ranks of those not making the roster include a number of veterans of the red, white, and blue; notably, Amanda Chidester (Michigan, ’12); Kasey Cooper (Auburn, ’17); Hannah Flippen (Utah, ’17); Courtney Gano (Washington, ’16); Carley Hoover (LSU, ’18); and Danielle O’Toole (Arizona, ’17) did not make the final roster.
Only two active college players made the cut, in Garcia and Mulipola, while others, including Bubba Nickles (UCLA, ’20) and Florida teammates Amanda Lorenz (’19) and Kelly Barnhill (’19) were left on the outside looking in.
NCAA Division I all-time home run leader Lauren Chamberlain and former US Olympic great Kelly Kretschman also were not selected for the 2019 roster.
