Fresno State Athletics
USA Softball Readies for Second Half of National Tour
7/10/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
July 10, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - With a 26-0 record during the first leg of the 2000 Coca-Cola USA Softball "Central Park to Sydney" Tour the USA Softball Women's National Team will begin the second half of its national journey this weekend in the great Northwest.
The Women's Pro Softball League's Akron Racers will jump-start the western tour in Seattle. They will meet the national team on Sunday, July 16, 2:00 p.m., at Husky Stadium on the campus of the University of Washington. After that the USA Softball Women's National team will make a three-city stop in California the next two weeks.
On Wednesday, July 19, they will be in Sacramento for a doubleheader beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Sacramento Sports Complex (contact: Jeff Dubchansky). On Friday, July 21, the USA Softball Women's National Team will play in Oakland for a 7:00 p.m. doubleheader at Larry Stanley Field (contact: John Gouveia).
On Sunday, July 23, the WPSL's Florida Wahoos will face the national team in a 3:00 p.m. showdown at Bulldog Diamond at Fresno State. One of nine national exposure dates for the national tour, ESPN2 will televise the single game that will be shown tape delayed the following evening at 9:00 p.m.
An assistant coach with the Fresno State softball team, USA's 1996 Olympic gold medalist and four-time All-America Bulldog outfielder Laura Berg will be back in center field at Bulldog Diamond. Across the diamond will be sister Randi, the 1999 WPSL Defensive Player of the Year, along with another pair of former Bulldog All-America standouts in Nina Lindenberg and Kim Maher.
With the gates opening at 11:00 am at Bulldog Diamond, the ASA 12-Under All-Star game will open the tour in Fresno at 12:30 p.m. After the all-star game there will be a 2:00 p.m. opening ceremony for the Florida Wahoos and the USA National Team. After the single game has ended the tour stop will conclude with a one-hour autograph session.
Preceding the event at Fresno State, the USA Softball Women's National Team will conduct a clinic at Buchanan High School on Saturday, July 22 (contact: Dick Grove, 805-466-8505).
Tickets for the tour stop in Fresno are still available and may be purchased in person or over the phone by calling the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS.
The tour has drawn nearly 28,000 fans out of 13 dates reported for an average of 2,089 fans. The tour has also drawn 2,000 fans a game seven times, including a tour-best 3,268 against the Akron Racers on June 9 in Akron, Ohio.
NOTE:
o The USA Softball Women's National Team is training at the Arco Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., from July 10 through Aug. 27.
o Fresno State's Bulldog Diamond was recently singled out and recognized by the American Institute of Architect San Joaquin for its Excellence in Design and Execution (Architect: Edwin S. Darden Associates, Inc.).
