Thirty-seven athletes named to the roster following the Women’s National Open
MESA, Az – USA Baseball recently announced its roster for the 2023 Women’s National Team Training Camp, which included three local names from Southwest Riverside County. Women’s National team veteran, twenty-five-year-old Kelsie Whitmore (OF/RHP), who hails from Temecula and who just celebrated a birthday last weekend, was joined by newcomer Alyssa Zettlemoyer (Catcher) of Murrieta, as well as previous National Team Development Program participant Peyton Coria (RHP/INF) of Perris.
Thirty-seven athletes were named to the roster following the conclusion of the Women’s National Open, the primary identification event for the Women’s National Team. Training Camp began Monday, July 10, and consists of workouts and a series of three intrasquad games at Riverview Baseball Complex – the Spring Training facility for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Arizona.
The final 20-woman roster will be announced on Thursday, July 13, and will travel to Thunder Bay, Ontario, for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Baseball World Cup group stage from August 8-13. The top three teams from the group will advance to the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals in 2024.
“We are very pleased with the selection of athletes chosen for Training Camp,” said Women’s National Team Program Director Ann Claire Roberson. “Narrowing down the field to thirty-seven was a tough endeavor, but we are excited to see this group of talented players continue the process of competing for a spot on the Women’s National Team throughout the week.”
In total, 19 alumni of the Women’s National Team will compete for the chance to don the uniform once again in 2023, including 18 that helped the team take home a 3-2 friendship series victory over Canada last year.
Highlighting the roster is Anna Kimbrell, who has made 10 appearances on a USA Baseball national team over her career. Additionally, Riverside’s Jade Gortarez and Whitmore have played on seven national teams, and Meggie Meidlinger has been featured on a national team roster on six separate occasions.
The Training Camp roster includes six players: Sarah Edwards, Cameron Ely, Akira Kopec, Jacqueline Reynolds, London Studer, and Zettlemoyer, who are brand new to the Women’s National Team program in 2023, and 26 others have participated in a Women’s National Team Development Program in years past.
This year’s Women’s National Team manager is five-time Team USA player Veronica Alvarez. She will coach alongside assistant coaches Alex Oglesby and Malaika Underwood and pitching coach Reynol Mendoza. In addition, Tamara Holmes, Tanner Vesely, Tim Esmay, and Calvin Pickering will serve as coaches for the Women’s National Team Training Camp.
The 2023 Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster is as follows:
(Name; Position; Hometown)
*^Jillian Albayati; RHP/INF; Anaheim, Calif.
Sierra Baldwin; C/UTIL; Lawton, Mich.
*^Jamie Baum; RHP/UTIL; Los Altos, Calif.
^Paloma Benach; LHP/INF; Washington, D.C.
*^Denae Benites; INF/RHP; Las Vegas, Nev.
*^Elise Berger; RHP/INF; Shelburne, Vt.
*^Kate Blunt; RHP/INF; Ladera Ranch, Calif.
^Olivia Bricker; LHP/OF; Cincinnati, Ohio
*^Janelle Calvet; UTIL/RHP; Deerfield Beach, Fla.
^Peyton Coria; RHP/INF; Perris, Calif.
*Niki Eckert; LHP/OF; Englewood, N.J.
Sarah Edwards; INF/LHP; Bay Shore, N.Y.
Cameron Ely; RHP/OF; Valencia, Calif.
Maggie Foxx; C/INF; Bedford, N.H.
*^Amanda Gianelloni; INF/OF; Gretna, La.
*^Jade Gortarez; INF/RHP; Riverside, Calif.
^Beth Greenwood; C/UTIL; Amherst, N.H.
*^Alex Hugo; INF/OF; Olathe, Kan.
*^Alexia Jorge; C/INF; Lyndhurst, N.J.
*^Anna Kimbrell; C; Fort Mill, S.C.
Akira Kopec; RHP/INF; Kingston, Penn.
*^Kylee Lahners; INF; Laguna Hills, Calif.
*^Ashton Lansdell; INF/RHP; Marietta, Ga.
*^Alana Martinez; INF/OF; Cooper City, Fla.
^Meredith McFadden; C/UTIL; Charlotte, N.C.
*^Meggie Meidlinger; RHP/INF; Sterling, Va.
Luciana Moreno; INF/UTIL; Sun Prairie, Wis.
^Maggie Paulovich; INF/C; Albany, Calif.
Valerie Perez; INF/UTIL; Corpus Christi, Texas
*^Olivia Pichardo; RHP/OF; Forest Hills, N.Y.
Jacqueline Reynolds; RHP/UTIL; Woburn, Mass.
^Aspen Robinson; OF/UTIL; Folsom, Calif.
^Naomi Ryan; LHP/INF; North Chesterfield, Va.
*^Remi Schaber; INF/RHP; Cordova, Tenn.
London Studer; INF/LHP; Blacklick, Ohio
*^Kelsie Whitmore; OF/RHP; Temecula, Calif.
Alyssa Zettlemoyer; C/INF; Murrieta, Calif.
* Denotes National Team alumna
^ Denotes National Team Development Program participant
Fans can follow along with the action by following @USABaseballWNT on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as well.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
