PAC all-star squad to take on USA Softball National Team

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USA Softball player clinic information

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – A group of recent Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) graduates has been extended an invitation by the West Virginia Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) to participate in an exhibition doubleheader against the 2014 USA Softball Women’s National Team.

The event, presented by West Virginia ASA and The Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be held Thursday, July 3 at 6 p.m. at Hawley Field in Morgantown, W.Va.

Hawley Field has been the home of West Virginia University’s baseball team since 1971.

Individual general admission tickets will be available for $15; VIP seating will be available for $20, while children under five will be admitted for free. An autograph session for all ticket holders is also scheduled to follow the doubleheader.

“This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of these ladies. Having the opportunity to not only compete, but spend time with, some of the best softball players in the world is very exciting. It is a great way for some of the best players in the PAC to cap off their collegiate careers. I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to coach such a tremendous collection of softball players and outstanding young women,” said Geneva College director of athletic and head softball coach Van Zanic.

Working alongside Zanic with the PAC team will be Bethany College associate director of athletics and head softball coach Jan Forsty and Waynesburg University head softball coach Lou Giachetti.
 
 West Virginia ASA and Commissioner Andy Dooley played a lead role in securing this unique opportunity for the PAC and the collection of some of the league’s top performers.

“Events like this really help to expose the younger female softball players in West Virginia to USA Softball. We’ve hosted other successful events in Glenville (W.Va.) with the Junior Women and in Summersville (W.Va.) with the National Team, and believe the exhibition in Morgantown (W.Va.) on July 3 will assist us in continuing to build awareness of and support for West Virginia ASA and USA Softball in northern West Virginia,” said Dooley. “It is important for our younger athletes to see first-hand that by working hard and attending camps and clinics that, one day, they could have the opportunity to be a part of the USA Softball program.” 
    
PAC representatives have also been invited to participate in the USA Softball Player Clinic, scheduled for Wednesday, July 2 at Hawley Field.

"What a great opportunity for softball players that compete at all levels of college ball have when the U.S. National Team plays an exhibition tour. What I have found in all my years coaching in these types of events, you never know who you may "discover" out there. At the same time, it is a competition that our opponents in these games will never forget,” said U.S. National Team head coach Ken Eriksen.

Eriksen, a Stony Brook, N.Y. native, has been the head softball coach at the University of South Florida since 1997. He began serving as an assistant coach with the U.S. National Team in 2001, and took over as the head coach in 2011. 

Twenty-six athletes have accepted invitations to the 2014 USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp, scheduled for June 8-19. These athletes will compete in a series of practices and exhibition games in hopes of making the final 17-player roster that will compete for Team USA throughout the summer. The final roster will be announced on USASoftball.com on June 22.
 
PAC Softball Roster
No. Name School Pos. Hometown/High School
3 Christina Fuqua Geneva College 2B Derwood, Md. / Richard Montogomery
5 Ronni Burns Thomas More College P Dayton, Ohio / Carroll
7 Lindsey Daniels Saint Vincent College SS Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny
8 Ali House Thiel College OF Liberty, Ohio / Liberty
9 Jenn Stefano Chatham University C Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville
10 Alex Walter Thomas More College 3B Lebanon, Ohio / Lebanon
11 Carrie Maier Waynesburg University P Greensburg, Pa. / Greensburg-Salem
13 Ally Vrcek Saint Vincent College P Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional
15 Ashley Davis Geneva College SS New Middletown, Ohio / Springfield Local
17 Lauren Stoczynski Westminster College 1B Erie, Pa. / Harbor Creek
19 Jasmine Blackwell Waynesburg University OF Moon Township, Pa. / Moon Area
20 Kelsey Cunningham Washington & Jefferson College SS/C McMurray, Pa. / Peters Township
21 Stefaney Turner Thomas More College C/1B Franklin, Ohio / Carlisle
22 Ashley Dolan Thiel College 2B Export, Pa. / Franklin Regional
24 Kelsey Squelch Westminster College 2B Pittsburgh, Pa. / Perry Traditional
28 Ashley Needy Bethany College UT Chicago, Ill. / Marist