OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --  The 17-member USA Softball Junior Women's National Team leaves Monday for the III Pan American Softball Championship (18-Under) in Bogota, Colombia, where they will attempt to qualify for the 2011 International Softball Federation (ISF) IX Junior Women's World Championship (19-Under), December 6-17, 2011, in Cape Town, South Africa. The qualifier, August 6-15, marks the first international competition for all 17 members of Team USA. 

"I am excited for a new generation of young women to have the opportunity to compete for their country. Four years ago, we were welcoming athletes to the junior program who are now Women's World Champions, and before that, we welcomed athletes who have since become Olympic Medalists," said Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Executive Director Ron Radigonda. "Playing with the Junior Women's National Team is a tremendous honor for those selected. Not only do they have the opportunity to take home a Gold Medal, they also have the opportunity to develop their game and experience something that can help them grow as a person. I wish them all the best and know that they will uphold the great tradition of USA Softball."

The athletes selected hail from seven states: Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, Maryland and New Mexico. Among the schools members of the Junior Women's National Team plan to attend are Arizona, Arizona State, California, Florida, Oklahoma, South Florida, Tennessee, UCLA and Washington. 

2010-11 USA Softball Junior Women's National Team Roster 
Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./California Worth Firecrackers 18-Under Gold) 
Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield, Calif./California Lady Magic) 
Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif./California Lady Magic) 
Dallas Escobedo (Glendale, Ariz./Arizona Hotshots Gold) 
Amber Freeman (Lakewood, Calif./Corona Angels 18-Under Gold-Tyson) 
Erin Gabriel (Poland, Ohio/Valley Extreme Blue) 
Chelsea Goodacre (Temecula, Calif./California Fury) 
Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz./ Arizona Hotshots Gold) 
Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills, Calif./ California Worth Firecrackers 18-Under Gold) 
Destinee Martinez (Corona, Calif./ Corona Angels 18-Under Gold-Tyson) 
Shelby Pendley (Albuquerque, N.M./New Mexico Sundancers) 
Kourtney Salvarola (Arnold, Md./Wagners) 
Madison Shipman (Valencia, Calif./So Cal Choppers) 
Cheyanne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif./ California Worth Firecrackers 18-Under Gold) 
Nyree White (Eugene, Ore./ California Worth Firecrackers 18-Under Gold) 
Hallie Wilson (North Tustin, Calif./ California Worth Firecrackers 18-Under Gold) 
Chelsea Zgrabik (Nokomis, Fla./Florida Tropic Wave-Morgan) 

The athletes were selected for the team by the five-member USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) based on performances at the 2010-11 USA Softball Junior Women's National Team Selection Camp, June 10-12, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. 

Karen Johns (Starkville, Miss.) is the team's head coach. Suzy Brazney (Huntington Beach, Calif./head coach Golden West College), Stacy Iveson (Prescott, Ariz./head coach Yavapai College) and Pat Murphy (Northport, Ala./head coach Alabama) will join Johns in Colombia as assistant coaches. Joe Salvatore (Monroe Township, N.J./coach New Jersey Breakers) is the volunteer assistant coach for the Junior Women's National Team. 

In 2006, Team USA won the Gold Medal at the II Pan American Softball Championship (18-Under), beating the host country Puerto Rico 7-0 in five innings in the Championship Game. The team also beat Venezuela 8-0, Colombia 12-0, Puerto Rico 10-0, Canada 3-0, Argentina 12-0, Ecuador 19-0, Aruba 18-0, Antillas Holandesas 15-0 and Venezuela 9-2 to qualify for the 2007 ISF Junior Women's World Championship, where Team USA took the Gold Medal. 

Competing with the 2006-07 Junior Women's National Team were athletes including now two-time Women's National Team members Alissa Haber (Newark, Calif.) and Ashley Hansen (Chandler, Ariz.), both 2010 ISF Women's World Champions. Brittany Lastrapes (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Kenzie Fowler (Tucson, Ariz.), members of the 2010 USA Softball Women's Futures National Team, also competed with the 2006-07 Junior Women's National Team. 

Updates will be posted at http://www.usasoftball.com. 

- Courtesy USA Softball