Preview
The U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) looks to round out its 2023 season as USA Softball announced the 16-player roster that will represent Team USA at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 held Oct. 29-Nov.4 in Santiago, Chile. Selected from the WNT athlete pool, the Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) formed the Pan American Games roster based on previous and ongoing evaluations at the collegiate and professional levels as well as USA Softball National Team events. While the athlete pool casts a large net over the best players across the country, each U.S. WNT roster is selected based on athlete availability.
Representing the third and final WNT roster of the 2023 season, the Pan American Games squad is highlighted by one current student-athlete and 15 alums hailing from 11 Division I universities, with Washington tabbing three athletes followed by Alabama, LSU and UCLA with two apiece. Also highlighted with one athlete each is Arizona, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas.
A roster beaming with veteran talent, each athlete will step into the Red, White and Blue after representing the U.S. on former rosters – including 10 athletes from the 2023 WBSC World Cup Group A event, one from the 2023 Japan All-Star Series roster, six from the 2022 World Games and five from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Softball Team. No stranger to the highly competitive multi-sport event, Haylie McCleney returns to the Pan American Games stage for the third time in her career while five other Team USA veterans return for their second stint.
After previously leading the WNT to a victorious finish at the WBSC World Cup Group A event, head coach Heather Tarr (Washington head coach) and assistant coaches Tony Baldwin (Georgia head coach), Cindy Ball-Malone (UCF head coach) and Tim Walton(Florida head coach) will look to add another gold medal to their resume as a Team USA coaching staff – a feat that would join their monumental gold medal victory at the 2022 World Games.
Concluding the 2023 season in Santiago, Chile, Team USA will enter the 2023 Pan American Games with sights set on sealing the season with a gold medal following a punched ticket to the WBSC World Cup and a hard-fought three-game series against Team Japan.
Since softball was first introduced into the Pan American Games in 1979, Team USA has proven dominance with nine gold medals – most recently being in 2019 – and two silver medals, compiling a 100-5 overall record in its 11 appearances.
Click here to view the complete 2023 U.S. Women’s National Team Pan American Games roster
To learn more about the U.S. Women’s National Team Program, visitUSASoftball.com.
Storylines/Key Points
- Return to the Pan American Games:One athlete returns to the Pan American Games stage for the third time in her career in addition to five athletes tabbing their second appearance at the prestigious event.
- Student Athletes:The roster includes 15 former student-athletes and one current student-athlete.
- Division I Players:The 16-player roster hails from 11 Division I universities.
- 2019 Gold Medal Finish:Team USA looks to build off its previous 2019 gold medal finish.
- 12th appearance at the Pan American Games:The 2023 Pan American Games marks the sports 12thappearance in the event. Team USA has proven to be dominant in the Pan American Games with nine gold medals and two silver medals over its past 11 appearances.
Athletes to Watch
- Ali Aguilar:U.S. Olympic silver medalist Ali Aguilar returns to the Pan American Games stage after helping lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to a gold medal finish at the 2019 Pan American Games where she totaled a .318 batting average with two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored. A steady contributor for Team USA, Aguilar has racked up two world championship gold medals (2016, 2018) in addition to the 2019 Pan American Games gold medal – all feats that led up to her Olympic debut at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where softball returned to the stage after a 13-year hiatus. Earlier this year, Aguilar and the 2023 U.S. WNT World Cup roster punched their ticket to the 2024 XVII World Cup Finals after posting an undefeated record at the Group A stage event held in Dublin, Ireland.
- Ally Carda:Ally Carda returns to the Pan American Games after previously competing at thePan American Games Toronto 2015 where the U.S. Women’s National Team earned silver. The right-handed pitcher has been an integral part of the USA Softball WNT program, making appearances on 13 previous Team USA rosters, including the 2020 U.S. Olympic Softball Team that went on to earn silver at the Tokyo Games. Additional accolades for Carda include two world championship gold medals (2016, 2022), two Japan Cup gold medals (2018, 2019), one International Cup gold medal (2019) and Canada Cup gold medal (2022). Highlighting her star-studded Team USA resume is the 2022 World Games where she guided Team USA to gold with a 2-0 record in the circle and a 0.00 ERA paired with 19 strikeouts through 12 innings. Earlier this year, Carda and the 2023 U.S. WNT World Cup roster punched their ticket to the 2024 XVII World Cup Finals after posting an undefeated record at the Group A stage event held in Dublin, Ireland.
- Haylie McCleney:A force at the plate and in the outfield for Team USA, Olympic silver medalist Haylie McCleney returns to the Pan American Games stage for the third time in her career – previously leading the U.S. to gold in 2019 and silver in 2015. The Alabama alum showed out in both of her previous Pan American Games experiences, compiling a .429 batting average, five RBIs and seven runs scored in 2015 followed by a .565 batting average, three home runs, four RBI and nine runs in 2019. Her most recent Team USA experience – which tabbed her third world championship gold medal – was highlighted by an MVP and All-World Team accolade after totaling an 8-for-15 performance at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Ala. Making her Olympic debut and earning a spot on the WBSC All-Olympic Team, McCleney helped guide the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2020 Games – where softball returned to the stage after a 13-year hiatus. Outside of Team USA, McCleney has become a staple in the professional softball world, with seasons spent with the Texas Charge (2017), Scrap Yard Dawgs (2018-2020) and Athletes Unlimited (2020-Current).
- Janae Jefferson:A first-time Pan American Games participant, Janae Jefferson looks to add to her resume following a dominating 2023 season with the Women’s Professional Fastpitch’s (WPF) Texas Smoke. In her first year with the Smoke, Jefferson boasted a .438 batting average with a .523 on-base percentage and a .580 slugging percentage – earning the infielder the WPF Player of the Year title. Finishing among the top 10 in 11 categories, Jefferson led the league in batting average (.438), on-base percentage (.523), on-base plus slugging percentage (1.103), hits (49), plate appearances (135) and at-bats (112) during the regular season. Making her Team USA debut in 2022, Jefferson was a member of the 2022 World Games gold medal squad where she totaled a .333 batting average and four RBIs – one of which came in clutch during the gold medal matchup against Japan.
Qualification
USA Softball will be competing at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023. Our Women’s National Team qualified for this event thanks to our Junior Women’s National Team that earned gold at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Selection
Selected from the USA Softball WNT athlete pool, the Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) formed the Pan American Games roster based on previous and ongoing evaluations at the collegiate and professional levels as well as USA Softball national team events. While the athlete pool casts a large net over the best players across the country, each U.S. WNT roster is selected based on athlete availability.
