Sunday March 24th, 2024
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2019 USA Softball USA Border Battle teams announced!

 

Thirteen veterans to lead 2019 USA Softball Men’s Slow Pitch National Team while seven rookies join Futures Team roster

OKLAHOMA CITY — Twenty-eight athletes will put on the Red, White and Blue this summer as a member of the 2019 USA Softball Men’s Slow Pitch National Teams program, USA Softball announced today.  The two 14-athlete rosters will represent the U.S. as part of the 2019 USA Softball Men’s Slow Pitch National Team (MSPNT) and Futures Team that will compete against Canada for the Men’s Border Battle XI as well as go head-to-head in the Men’s Slow Pitch Showdown.
 
Click here to see the 2019 USA Softball Men’s Slow Pitch and Futures Team rosters
 
The MSPNT roster includes athletes from 10 different states who have earned numerous USA Softball National Championships and individual tournament accolades.  With 13 veterans returning to the MSPNT roster, the U.S. packs plenty of experience heading into Border Battle XI. 
 
Leading the MSPNT roster for the second season is Brett Helmer (Cicero, N.Y.).  In his first season as Head Coach in 2018, Helmer guided the team as they reclaimed the Border Battle title. 
 
“I can’t wait to get this great group of players together to represent the United States at the 2019 Border Battle,” said Helmer. “This team has a great mix of speed, power, defense and a lot of heart.  It will be an honor to get them on the field together and keep the Border Battle trophy in the hands of the United States.”
 
Joining Helmer as Assistant Coaches are Todd Ankney (Lake Villa, Ill.) and Tim Barnes (Gladewater, Texas).
 
MSPNT veteran Kyle Pearson (Stonewall, La.), who has been on the roster since 2017 added, “It is such an honor to be able to represent USA Softball.  Border Battle is a perfect chance for some of the best players in the nation to take the field together and leave no doubt as to why we are there.  Each player is doing their best to perform not only for their manufacturer and players beside them, but also for the United States.”
 
The Futures Team, now in its eighth year, is a mixture of veterans and rookies from 11 different states that will look to carry on the competitive tradition from previous rosters.  In 2018, the team went undefeated, including a 29-14 (five inning) run-rule victory over the MSPNT in the Men’s Slow Pitch Showdown.  The team also went undefeated in 2017.
 
Rob Humphrey (Burlington, Iowa) will once again serve as Head Coach for the Futures Team, a role he has held since 2016.  Denny Crine (Henderson, Nev.) is also returning as an Assistant Coach for the team.
 
“I am excited to be back on the field coaching the Futures Team and back in the USA uniform this year,” said Humphrey.  “This team is full of players that are hungry to represent the country and has strength all around.  We have some of the best defensive players in the game, plus we have stadium power throughout the lineup.  I have said this before, but the Futures Team always seems to play with an edge and passion and I expect nothing different this year.  Thank you to USA Softball along with Brett Helmer for giving me this honor for another year.”
 
“Being selected to the Futures Team is a great honor,” Futures Team veteran Adam Ussery (Hot Springs, Ark.) added.  “I look forward to representing USA Softball and our country in this year’s Border Battle and Slow Pitch Showdown.”
 
Athletes are selected to represent the United States as a member of a Slow Pitch National Teams based on their grassroots participation at their respective USA Softball Slow Pitch National Championship.  Athletes wishing to make the 2020 Women’s Slow Pitch National Team (WSPNT), Women’s Futures, MSPNT and Men’s Futures will need to participate in the following events: the Women's Open Slow Pitch National Championship in Waxahachie, Texas August 23-25, the Men's Super Slow Pitch National Championship in Hendersonville, Tenn. August 15-16, the Men’s Class A Slow Pitch National Championship in Hendersonville, Tenn. August 17-18 and the Men’s Class B Slow Pitch National Championship in Prairie Island, Minn. August 23-25.
 
Information on Border Battle XI, including location, schedule and ticket information, will be released at a later date.
 
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations, and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 120,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million.  USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game. 
 
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

5 responses to “2019 USA Softball USA Border Battle teams announced!”

  1. JKW says:

    When will dates and location be announced?

  2. Jackie Keenan says:

    Looking to see the 2019 Border Battle for the first time live. I’m guessing it will take place in Oklahoma City during the summer. Checking every week for exact date so we can make accommodations and put in for that week off from work! Hope you will announce it soon!

    Thank you,

    Jackie Keenan

  3. Jason victor Soliz says:

    Hello , I would like to get tickets to the Softball Border Battle , can you send me info on this Game Series please , thank you

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