Present and future of USA Softball converge
For a moment at Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday afternoon, it looked like the future of softball might just beat the present.
In the top of the first inning, Bubba Nickles singled on a line drive to left field, beginning a two-out rally for the US Women’s Junior National Team.
Three at-bats later, Nickles jogged home to score a run against the U.S. National team — the No. 1 team in the world — on a wild pitch.
It was that moment, that very brief moment, that the little sister was out-performing the big sister.
But it didn’t take long before the national team regained control, notching three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead that eventually grew to an 8-1 run-ruled win after five innings.
In some ways, it was a glorified scrimmage, one played in front of a handful of fans eager to catch a preview of the women who could make up the US Olympic team in 2020.
There are 20 women on the national team roster now, but that makeup could change in time for softball’s reintroduction to the Olympics in Tokyo, and games like the one Friday afternoon are a good opportunity for junior team members to prove that they deserve a shot to make the big-time team, too.
“I think that’s a way for them to make some noise and be like ‘Hey, I want a spot on that 2020 team too,’” junior team coach Laura Berg said. “I think it’s a way for them to showcase and show what they’re made of.”
Beyond a tryout of sorts, the game was also a sibling rivalry played out on a big stage. Many of the women on the national team spend the collegiate season with members of the junior team. Ali Aguilar, an infield player on the national squad, played with Sis Bates at Washington, while Nickles played with national team member Delaney Spaudling at UCLA.
“Whenever they’re on base we’ll say, ‘Oh hey, what’s up,’” Nickles said with a laugh. “And then we’ll get serious, like ‘Can’t talk, it’s game time.’”
Even when they’re squaring off against each other, the two teams are bonded by the sisterhood of USA Softball. They’re all competing for the same country, but eventually they’ll be competing for the same spots on a team to represent that country on an even bigger stage.
“You chide your best friend,” national team coach Ken Eriksen said. “It’s like playing pickup basketball. There’s going to be a lot of trash talking. From my perspective, I’m taking a look at the future of USA Softball. It doesn’t really matter the successes they may have or we may have, they are successes for the United States program. That’s a good thing to have.”
US National Team 5, Japan 0
The US National Team is the lone remaining undefeated team in the World Cup of Softball after a 5-0 win against Japan in the Friday night finale.
Second baseman Ali Aguilar was the catalyst for the US in the win, smacking a two-run home run in the top of the first. Then in the third, Aguilar slid into home plate for the second run of Delaney Spaulding’s two RBI single.
Haylie McCleney launched a solo home run in the sixth to extend the lead 5-0.
Danielle O’Toole pitched a complete game shutout, only allowing one hit and walking three.