Great Britain Women’s Senior National Fastpitch Team Head Coach Tara Henry and the British Softball Federation have today announced the 16 players and three alternates to represent Great Britain at the 2023 Softball World Cup Pool A in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, Ireland next month.
Great Britain will face world No. 1 USA along with No. 3 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Australia, host nation and No. 17 Ireland and No. 43 Botswana. An additional 12 countries will compete in Group B and Group C, played in Valencia, Spain and Castions di Strada & Buttrio, Italy later in July.
Roster selection took place following a four-day trial camp held in Stillwater, Oklahoma, hosted by Oklahoma State University. Athletes were selected in accordance with the British Softball Federation’s World Cup selection policy.
Great Britain qualified for the Softball World Cup by virtue of their second-place finish at the 2022 European Women’s Championship, winning a silver medal. The Netherlands (Gold) and Italy (Bronze) are the other two teams to qualify from Europe.
The GB Women's World Cup roster returns 12 players from last year’s silver-medal winning European Women’s Championship team, including 2022 NCAA Pitcher of the Year and current Athletes Unlimited X star Georgina Corrick and tournament offensive leaders Kendyl Scott (17 runs batted in) and Tia Warsop (6 stolen bases).
Corrick, who tossed a no-hitter against Germany during the 2022 Europeans, headlines a group of 12 current, former or future NCAA Division 1 players, including Mississippi standout Tate Whitley,2021-22 Wisconsin Gatorade High School Player of the Year Paytn Monticelli, and Tia Warsop, who will be playing at Oklahoma State starting this autumn.
Five players have been named to the Great Britain Softball roster for the first time, including Whitley, Monticelli, and former Nashville Music City World Series champion Mackenzie Langan. The average player age for the World Cup Roster is just 22 years old, despite 14 of the 19 members of the roster and reserve list having represented Great Britain previously at the senior level.
Selections
The 16 members of the roster are as follows, with their current, past or future university in brackets:
- Katie Burge (University of Central Florida)
- Sydney Brown (University of British Columbia)
- Georgina Corrick (University of South Florida)
- Rebecca Faulkner (University of California – Riverside)
- Imogen Gie (University of Maine)
- Mackenzie Langan (University of Central Michigan)
- Cameron McGinnis (Santa Clara University)
- Paytn Monticelli (University of Wisconsin)
- Amy Moore (University of the Pacific)
- Aubrey Peterson (University of Utah)
- Morgan Salmon (Santa Clara University)
- Kendyl Scott (Towson University)
- Alana Snow (University of California – Los Angeles)
- Tia Warsop (Oklahoma State University)
- Tate Whitley (University of Mississippi)
- Chloe Wigington (East Central University)
The three reserve members of the roster are:
- Jessica Chan (Winthrop University)
- Hannah Edwards (Santa Clara University)
- Laura Hirai (Swarthmore University)
Comment
Head Coach Tara Henry commented, “The trials at Oklahoma State University begins our process of establishing a culture of excellence. Seeing the potential of the youth on the roster partnered with returning veterans, we cannot wait to build standards to develop this team. It is our expectation that all stakeholders -- players, coaches, and supporters -- will focus on a process and work ethic that pushes all limits. Great Britain will be ready to compete at the 2024 Softball World Cup, but this is just one more step to put Great Britain in the top echelon of softball teams in the world and prepare for the potential to compete for a spot in LA2028. Get ready, here we come!”
Head of Performance Gary Anderson said, “The recent training camp in Oklahoma gave the newly formed performance team time to work together at world-class facilities, allowing evaluation of our roster and the selection of players who go forward to represent Great Britain at the World Cup. Time with athletes and time on task is the most valuable commodity for us right now. The staff at OSU supported us so well and I want to place on record our sincere thanks, and thanks also to the additional visiting coaches and players who contributed to the training camp.
“This is a very young roster, as we have aligned the strategy to our long-term aim of LA 2028,” Anderson continued. “Our recent performance trajectory is extremely positive, and I am confident that this group of players and staff can continue that. We are building an environment and culture whereby these players can become the very best versions of themselves both on and off the field of play. We have a tough group to negotiate in Dublin, but it is a challenge we are all relishing”.
Staff
In addition to the roster, Great Britain has also added veteran softball coach Patrick Lewis to the coaching staff. Lewis, who currently coaches the Bombers Fastpitch Organisation with fellow Great Britain coach Lincoln Martin, has more than 15 years’ experience developing elite softball players.
With the addition of Lewis, the full coaching staff for the 2023 Softball World Cup will consist of:
- Head Coach - Tara Henry
- Assistant Coach - Linda Derk
- Hitting Coach - Lincoln Martin
- Battery Coach - Jennifer Schroeder
- Bench Coach - Patrick Lewis
- Medical/Sports Science Coordinator - Kim Hannessen
- Chief Medical Officer – Dr. Dean Chatterjee
- Head of Performance - Gary Anderson
- Team Operations Manager - Colin Barrett
Training camp
Great Britain will hold training and preparation camp in the United Kingdom starting 2 July, based at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in Marlow and the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park in Farnham Royal.
The training Camp will be highlighted by the Royal Spark Challenge, a two-game exhibition series that will see Great Britain welcome the Oklahoma City Spark to Farnham Park, the first time ever a professional softball team will play in the United Kingdom.
The Royal Spark Challenge will take place on 6-7 July, with first pitch for both games at 6:30 pm, and is completely free to attend. Join us at the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park, where the Home Plate Bar + Kitchen will be open for food and drink, players will sign postgame autographs, and there will be entertainment throughout the game! Bring a picnic blanket, chair, or arrive early to snag a bleacher seat – it’ll be fun for the whole family, a great opportunity to share softball with your family and friends, and a chance to see the highest level of fastpitch softball ever played in the UK.
Tickets for the Softball World Cup Group A Qualifier are now on sale through the Irish Softball Federation and can be purchased here. Great Britain will open the Softball World Cup on 11 July at 11.00 am BST against Australia.
Follow the Great Britain Women’s Team on social media @GBWomenSoftball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, at facebook.com/GBWomenSoftball, and on the British Softball Federation website, britishsoftball.org.