(Press Release)

Oklahoma City, OK — The 2008 USA Softball Women’s National Team will be in Killeen at the Killeen Athletic Complex on Wednesday as the Bound 4 Beijing Tour rolls across the United States in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games. Killeen is one of 46 cities on the tour that will host the Red, White and Blue as they look to capture a fourth consecutive gold medal in China.
The game is sold out.

“The Amateur Softball Association is proud to be able to organize the Bound 4 Beijing tour for the National Team as well as for the softball enthusiasts across the US,” said ASA Executive Director Ron Radigonda. “It’s going to be an exciting year for our women’s program as they look to a fourth consecutive gold medal, and what better way to get it started than with a tour across the United States. Our local associations have done a great job in hosting these stops, providing the opportunity for our team to compete against the best teams in the country on American soil.”

The 2008 Women’s National Team, who will travel to Beijing in August, will make 46 stops across the country competing in over 60 games. The team will compete against NCAA Division I opponents, regional all-star teams as well as international competitors.

“We’re excited to be able to travel across the country and showcase our talented team and hopefully get everyone excited for the Olympic Games,” said Cat Osterman, who will be making her second tour. “Some of the most talented softball players of the world are in the United States, so it will be good to get out there and face some of the top athletes in the sport. It’s a great way to prepare for the ultimate stage, the Olympic Games.”

In Killeen, Team USA will play a collection of college players from across Texas. Kasey Blomquist, head softball coach at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, will lead the host team.

“The City of Killeen is very excited to host this event,” said Glenn Morrison, Killeen’s director of community services. “We hosted the team back in 2000 and again in 2004.”

Highlighting the tour will be eight nationally televised games on ESPN2 airing from April to June. Four other games will air in July rounding out over 20 hours of softball programming on the ESPN family of networks.

For a complete list of the Bound 4 Beijing tour schedule, log on to www.usasoftball.com.