California Trio Invited to 2015 USA Softball WNT Selection Camp
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – California softball senior Cheyenne Cordes, as well as alumnae Valerie Arioto (2008-12) and Jolene Henderson (2010-13), are on the shortlist for USA Softball’s Women’s National Team (WNT) Selection Camp, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. Cal is one of four schools with three or more players on the invitee list.
The trio completes a roster of 32 athletes who are initial invitees for the selection camp, which will be held Jan. 4-8, 2015 at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif. During the five-day selection process, athletes will participate in position drills as well as simulated games and be evaluated by the Women’s National Team Selection Committee. Each athlete is competing for one of 17 spots on next summer’s USA Softball WNT roster that will compete at the World Cup of Softball X and the 2015 Pan American Games.
Arioto and Henderson are both coming off a summer spent with Team USA, where the pair helped the Red, White and Blue capture gold at the World Cup of Softball IX and claim silver at the International Softball Federation World Championships and at the Canadian Open. Arioto is a four-time member of the WNT (2011-14) and also played with the 2010 USA Junior National Team, while it was Henderson’s first go-round with the WNT.
Cordes played with the Junior National Team in 2011, where she was a 2011 ISF Junior World Champion and led Team USA to gold at the 2010 Pan American Games.
In addition to the list of invitees, the full coaching staff has been selected for the WNT for competitions in 2015. Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./USF head coach) will once again head up the women’s program. He will be assisted by Laura Berg (Corvallis, Ore./Oregon State head coach), Howard Dobson (Orange, Texas/LSU assistant coach) and Lisa Dodd (San Diego, Calif./UNLV head coach).
Additional athletes may be invited to the USA Softball WNT Selection Camp at a later date.