USA name 38-player training squad to prepare for WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Finals
USA Baseball has announced a 38-player squad for its 2024 women’s national team training camp, set to take place from 16-20 July in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The athletes will compete for a spot on the final 20-player roster that will represent USA at the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals 2024 presented by CARNEXT, which will take place in Thunder Bay, Canada, from 28 July to 3 August.
The training camp is seen as a crucial step in USA's quest for a third WBSC Women's Baseball Cup title and first since 2006, building on their perfect 5-0 record from Group Stage play last year.
“We are very excited to announce the thirty-eight players attending this year’s Training Camp,” said women’s national team programme director Ann Claire Roberson. “These players will have the opportunity to continue to learn from some of the best as we set our sights on bringing a world title home from Canada. We are very much looking forward to seeing some familiar faces along with some newcomers to our programme in Minneapolis.”
The trainingcamp will feature a series of workouts, practices and scrimmages at SiebertField, home of the University of Minnesota’s baseball programme. Participantswill also have the unique opportunity to play at Target Field, home of theMinnesota Twins.
Following the camp, the final roster will head to Thunder Bay to begin their World Cup campaign against Venezuela on 28 July. The squad includes a blend of veterans and newcomers, with 23 players coming from last year's national team.
Star players include 11-time Team USA member Anna Kimbrell, eight-time participants Kelsie Whitmore and Michelle Cobb, and Meggie Meidlinger, who aims to make her seventh appearance. Newcomers to the programme include Jordan Andreas, Sophia Broderick, Demi Chaney, Ashley Fleenor, Keira Izumi and Luciana Moreno.
The team will be led by manager Veronica Alvarez, a five-time Team USA player and three-time manager, with support from pitching coach Rey Mendoza and assistant coaches Alex Oglesby and Malaika Underwood.
Alvarez brings a wealth of experience to the team having served as a member of the Oakland Athletics’ Latin American Development team and was recently named Girls’ Baseball Ambassador for Major League Baseball.
Thecoaching staff will be joined by USA Baseball’s Director of Player DevelopmentJim Koerner, women’s national team alumni Jenny Dalton-Hill and Tamara Holmes,and two-time U-15 national team assistant coach Manny Crespo Jr.
USA Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster
- Jillian Albayati; RHP/INF
- Jordan Andreas; RHP/INF
- Jamie Baum; INF/RHP
- Paloma Benach; LHP/INF
- Denae Benites; C/INF
- Elise Berger; RHP
- Kate Blunt; INF/RHP
- Olivia Bricker; LHP/OF
- Sophia Broderick; RHP/INF
- Demi Chaney; INF/RHP
- Michelle Cobb; INF
- Niki Eckert; LHP/OF
- Sarah Edwards; INF/OF
- Cameron Ely; RHP/OF
- Ashley Fleenor; OF/RHP
- Maggie Foxx; C/INF
- Adelaide Frank; INF/OF
- Amanda Gianelloni; INF/OF
- Beth Greenwood; C/OF
- Alex Hugo; INF/OF
- Keira Izumi; INF/RHP
- Alexia Jorge; C/INF
- Anna Kimbrell; C/INF
- Kylee Lahners; INF
- Ashton Lansdell; INF/OF
- Alana Martinez; OF/INF
- Meredith McFadden; OF/INF
- Meggie Meidlinger; RHP
- Luciana Moreno; INF
- Maggie Paulovich; OF/INF
- Valerie Perez; INF
- Olivia Pichardo; RHP/OF
- Jacqueline Reynolds; RHP/INF
- Naomi Ryan; LHP/OF
- Remi Schaber; INF/RHP
- London Studer; INF/LHP
- Kelsie Whitmore; OF/RHP
- Alyssa Zettlemoyer; C/INF