The Great Britain Women’s Senior National Fastpitch Softball Team won the Bronze Medal at the 2025 WBSC Europe Women’s Softball European Championship with a 4-2 victory over Spain on Saturday, 13 September. The win secured Great Britain’s third consecutive medal at the European Championships and qualifies the team for next year’s WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage, to be played in three locations across the globe.
Great Britain started the European Championships in Pool Y with four strong victories, defeating France, Greece, Switzerland and Ukraine – by way of a Paytn Monticelli five inning perfect game – before weather impacted the tournament schedule. Following a 1-0 defeat to the Netherlands, GBR’s 9-0, five inning defeat of host Czechia on 11 September to open the Super Round gave Great Britain the advantage needed to play for the bronze medal, despite losses to eventual tournament winners Italy and Spain to conclude the playoff round.
In the Bronze Medal game, Georgina Corrick, the British Softball Hall of Famer, got the start for Great Britain, with Spain taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1. Corrick settled down for a 14-strikeout complete-game performance, while the Great Britain offence battled back to take the lead – tying the game at one in the second inning on Alana Snow’s RBI double, and scoring three times in the fifth inning to take the 4-2 lead. The fifth inning saw Jahni Kerr double home Tia Warsop to tie the game, before Jessica Chan’s two-run double gave GBR a lead they would not relinquish. Corrick struck out five of the final seven Spanish batters to slam the door and secure the medal win for Great Britain.
Tia Warsop finished the tournament tied for the lead in runs scored with 12, and Paytn Monticelli – in her debut tournament for GBR – took home the top place in earned run average (0.00), earned runs allowed (0), second in walks (2 allowed) and fifth in strikeouts with 33 – one behind third place finisher and teammate Georgina Corrick. Catcher Cara Edwards finished the tournament with 3 runners caught stealing, good for second place amongst backstops.
Six players – Jasmine Francik, Paytn Monticelli, Laura Hirai, Mia Krueger, Mackenzie Langan, and Sydney Teague – made their Senior debut for Great Britain during the tournament. Head Coach Tara Henry, meanwhile, becomes the first Head Coach of Great Britain Softball to win consecutive medals at the senior level, and has now won three medals (including U22 Bronze last year) in her time with the Great Britain Softball programme, to go with a World Cup appearance in her debut.
Speaking after the tournament’s conclusion, Olympic Head Coach Tara Henry commented, “This tournament was the official start of our journey to the LA 2028 Olympic Games and challenged our young team in new and unique ways. I am proud of this team’s resilience and tenacity, and their achievement of a medal and qualifying for the World Cup next year is no small feat. This team, and the Great Britain Softball programme, have proven that by improving a little bit each day, we can come together to achieve great results on the field, and I look forward to the continued positive trajectory of the programme in next year’s competitions.”
Performance Director Gary Anderson reflected on Great Britain’s performance as well: “With a medal in a third consecutive European Championship, and a vitally important spot in the Women’s Softball World Cup secured, this team has achieved the next step in our Olympic trajectory. This team has demonstrated resilience and mental toughness throughout competition and that was reflected in their final positioning. I am so proud in not only the team’s performance on the field, but the culture they are building that has been reflected both in-game and around each other – a culture that strives to be better every single day with the ultimate goal of an Olympic medal.”
Great Britain, along with hosts Czechia, reigning European Champions Italy and Silver Medallists The Netherlands, all advance to play in next year’s WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage, which will be played across three pools around the world - from 16-20 June 2026 in Prague, Czechia; from 21-16 July 2026 In Lima, Peru; and 17-21 September 2026 in Oklahoma City, USA. The top two teams from each Group Stage, along with the best two third-place teams, will advance from next year’s Group Stage to the 2027 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Final, which will take place 4-11 April 2027 in Queensland, Australia. This will be Great Britain’s fourth consecutive berth in the World Cup and follows their 2023 Group Stage appearance in Ireland that saw them defeat Australia, then-world ranked number three Chinese Taipei, and the hosts in a five-inning perfect game during group play.
Follow the Great Britain Women’s Team on social media @GBWomenSoftball on X, Instagram, and TikTok, at facebook.com/GBWomenSoftball, and on the British Softball Federation website, britishsoftball.org.