Fresno State Athletics
USA Softball Aiming for Athens Tour Winds Down
7/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
July 13, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. -
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The 2004 USA Softball Women's National Team, which is dominating its 30-city journey, wraps up the Aiming for Athens Tour this week with stops in Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Connecticut.
Coming off a doubleheader sweep over the Ft. Worth All-Stars in front of a record crowd of 6,121 at Gateway Park three days ago, the USA will take on the National Pro Fastpitch All-Stars this evening at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Currently 48-0 on its tour while drawing an average of 1,800 fans, the United States has outscored its opponents 439-11 while batting .410 with 102 doubles, 14 triples, 70 home runs, 392 RBI and 844 total bases for a .687 slugging percentage.
The pitching staff has been equally remarkable as they own a miniscule 0.20 ERA with 41 shutouts and has struck out 547 in 282.0 innings as opponents are hitting .080 against.
Leading the offensive charge has been 2000 Olympic gold medalist Crystl Bustos, who is hitting a team-high .534 (79-148) with 51 runs, 17 doubles, three triples, 23 home runs, 90 RBI and 171 total bases for a 1.155 slugging percentage.
Former Fresno State softball standout Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) is batting .396 (36-91) with 29 runs, three doubles, a triple, two home runs, 22 RBI and eight sacrifices.
After playing tonight in Oklahoma City, the USA Softball Women's National Team will conclude its tour at Zenoff Park in Stevens Point, Wis., on Thur., July 15, before wrapping up with a doubleheader at DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in Stratford, Conn., on Sat., July 17.
For venues, tickets and game times for the Aiming for Athens Tour, visit www.usasoftball.com. To contact Berg, call Brian McCall or Julie Eversgerd of USA Softball, at (405) 425-3463.
A DOZEN OLYMPIC SOFTBALL "DID YOU KNOW" NOTES
1. With a roster that includes four three-time Olympians and 11 Californians, the United States will look to bring home its third consecutive Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The USA is 15-4 in Olympic softball competition.
2. In an attempt to create more offense, the softball field was enlarged after the 2000 Summer
Olympic Games in Sydney. The pitching rubber is now 43 feet from home, instead of 40, and
the outfield fence is now 220 feet, instead of 200. On the collegiate level, the pitching
rubber has been at 43 feet since 1987 while the official dimension of an outfield wall from
home plate can be no less than 190 feet and no more than 225.
3. The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece will feature softball from Sat., Aug. 14
through Mon., Aug. 23. The games will be held at The Helliniko Olympic Softball Stadium in
Athens. The bronze medal game will take place on Sun., Aug. 22, while the gold medal game
happens the following day.
4. The time in Athens is seven hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), therefore, 10 hours
for Pacific Daylight viewers.
5. The opening ceremonies of the XXVIII Olympian in Athens, Greece, will be Fri., Aug. 13 and
the closing ceremony is Sun., Aug. 29. Olympic competition begins with the United States
women's soccer team playing Greece on Wed., Aug. 11, televised live on MSNBC.
 Half Greek, Vanessa Czarnecki was named to the inaugural Greek Softball Team more than a year ago and is the second Bulldog to play for another country on the Olympic level. The Fresno State softball program has produced 11 softball Olympians. | |
Greece, which is making its Olympic debut, the Greek team features13 Americans and two native-
born Greeks. 11 of the 13 Americans are from California.
7. Eight countries qualified for Olympic softball competition in 2004: Australia, Canada,
China, Chinese Taipei, Greece, Italy, Japan and the United States. The USA opens Olympic
softball competition against Italy on Aug. 14. It will face on Australia on Aug. 15, Japan on
Aug. 16, China on Aug. 17, Canada on Aug. 18, Greece on Aug. 19 and Chinese Taipei on Aug.
20 in the preliminary games.
8. After its Aiming for Athens Tour, the United States Women's National Team will train in
Athens and in Italy in early August.
9. 10 Fresno State softball players and a coach have represented the United States and/or
another country at the Summer Olympic Games in the sport of softball:
1996: Laura Berg, Kim Maher, Lisa Mize (Puerto Rico), Martha Noffsinger (alternate), Julie Smith, Shelly Stokes, Margie Wright (asst. coach)
2000: Laura Berg, Amanda Scott (alternate), Shelly Stokes (alternate)
2004: Laura Berg, Vanessa Czarnecki (Greece)
10. Laura Berg scored the first run in the 1996 gold medal game against China in Atlanta (W 3-1 -- went 8-1 in Olympic competition) and had the game-winning hit in the 2000 gold medal game versus Japan in Sydney (W 2-1 in 8 inn. -- went 7-3 in Olympic competition).
11. In 1996, Fresno State had seven Bulldogs represented in the inaugural year of softball as a medal sport.
12. With softball making its Olympic debut in Columbus, Ga., in 1996, six Bulldogs captured
gold as Fresno State had the most representatives on the USA National Team by any college or
university.
