Final roster announced for friendship series with Canada
— ST. PAUL, Minn. – USA Baseball recently announced the final 20-woman roster for the 2022 Women’s National Team, which will compete in a five-game friendship series this week with Canada at Baseball Central in Thunder Bay, Ontario, July 28-Aug. 1.
“We are thrilled with the depth of knowledge, experience, talent and passion on this year’s roster,” Women’s National Team Program Director Ann Claire Roberson said. “This is an incredibly strong group of athletes that we are confident will represent the U.S. well both on and off the field as we head to Canada to compete in a five-game friendship series.”
In total, 12 alumni of the Women’s National Team will once again compete for a chance to wear the red, white and blue in 2022, and all 12 helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2019 COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships.
The roster is highlighted by Malaika Underwood, who will suit up for the red, white and blue for the 11th time, as she owns the record for most appearances on a USA Baseball national team. Additionally, this will be the 10th time Anna Kimbrell and the ninth that Marti Sementelli have been members of a national team. This year also marks the seventh time for Jade Gortarez and Temecula native Kelsie Whitmore and sixth for Meggie Meidlinger.
Whitmore is taking time away from her current team, the Staten Island FerryHawks, where she made history earlier this year after becoming the first woman ever to play in the Atlantic League, which is associated with Major League Baseball. The former Golden Bear baseball player and college softball outfielder, at Cal State Fullerton, is a two-way player for Staten Island, competing at a level akin to Triple-A, making her the most advanced women’s baseball player in decades.
Alex Hugo, Kylee Lahners and Ashton Landsell will make their third appearance representing the U.S. on the international stage, while Denae Benites, Kate Blunt and Alexia Jorge will don the red, white and blue for a second time.
For players Jillian Albayati, Jamie Baum, Elise Berger, Janelle Calvet, Niki Eckert, Alana Martinez, Olivia Pichardo and Remi Schaber, this year marks their first appearance on a Women’s National Team roster. Albayati, Baum, Berger, Calvet, Martinez, Pichardo and Schaber have all participated in a Women’s National Development Program in prior years, meanwhile Eckert earned a roster spot after her first experience in a Women’s National Team program.
This year’s Women’s National Team manager is five-time Team USA player Veronica Alvarez. She will coach alongside assistant coaches Manny Crespo Sr. and Alex Oglesby and pitching coach Reynol Mendoza.
The Women’s National Team began their training at Target Field in Minneapolis July 25, at Neiman Sports Complex in St. Paul July 26 and at Baseball Central in Thunder Bay, Ontario, July 27, before opening its five-game friendship series with Canada July 28.
Fans can follow along with the action by following @USABaseballWNT on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
The 2022 Women’s National Team roster is as follows:
(Name; Position; Hometown)
^Jillian Albayati; RHP/INF; Anaheim, Calif.
^Jamie Baum; RHP/UTIL; Los Altos, Calif.
*^Denae Benites; INF/RHP; Las Vegas, Nev.
^Elise Berger; RHP/INF; Shelburne, Vt.
*^Kate Blunt; RHP/INF; Ladera Ranch, Calif.
^Janelle Calvet; UTIL/RHP; Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Niki Eckert; LHP/OF; Englewood, N.J.
*^Jade Gortarez; INF/RHP; Riverside, Calif.
*^Alex Hugo; INF/OF; Olathe, Kan.
*^Alexia Jorge; C/INF; Lyndhurst, N.J.
*^Anna Kimbrell; C; Fort Mill, S.C.
*^Kylee Lahners; INF; Laguna Hills, Calif.
*^Ashton Lansdell; INF/RHP; Marietta, Ga.
^Alana Martinez; INF/OF; Cooper City, Fla.
*^Meggie Meidlinger; RHP/INF; Sterling, Va.
^Olivia Pichardo; RHP/OF; Forest Hills, N.Y.
^Remi Schaber; INF/RHP; Cordova, Tenn.
*^Marti Sementelli; RHP; West Newton, Mass.
*^Malaika Underwood; IF; San Diego, Calif.
*^Kelsie Whitmore; OF/RHP; Temecula, Calif.
* Denotes national team alum
^ Denotes National Team Development Program participant
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
