USA Softball (Oklahoma City) issued the following release on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024….

USA Softball of Southern California (SoCal) has announced the athletes that will represent the U.S. at the 2024 USA Softball x Tokyo Exchange event slated for October 5-6 in Tokyo, Japan.

Selected from the 2024 High Performance Program (HPP) Region 10 Identifier in Irvine, Calif. along with additional identifiers, the 15-player roster will travel to Japan for an exchange series that will look to strengthen the connection between the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the LA28 Games.

“USA Softball SoCal is ecstatic to work with the selected athletes and coaches to compete at the highest level while in Tokyo,” said USA Softball of SoCal Commissioner, Chris Drumm.

“USA Softball of SoCal held a successful HHP event in July that allowed athletes to be evaluated at a national level and by our SoCal coaches, AJ Robinson and Ali Aguilar. We have a diverse group of elite athletes that are excited and extremely grateful for this opportunity. We look forward to seeing this talented team play together in Tokyo,” she added.

The exchange series will feature thrilling competition between the USA Softball of Southern California U-18 Women’s All-Star Team and Metro Tokyo Softball — with the first set of matchups set to take place in Tokyo, while a second round of games will be played in Los Angeles in 2025.

*** Click here for more information on the USA Softball x Tokyo Exchange event »

A result of the USA Softball HPP, the 15-player roster consists of athletes from Southern California including one athlete who was named a top performer at the 2023 National Selection Event (Camrynn Gordon).

Evaluated at a local HPP identifier, the selected roster marks the first of its kind to advance to an international contest at the grassroots level. The HPP was created in 2020 with the goal of identifying a pool of athletes to train, compete and represent USA Softball in domestic and international competitions.

The 2024 SoCal U-18 Women’s All-Star Team Coaches

Leading the SoCal U-18 Women’s All-Star Team at the Exchange event will be AJ Robinson, who currently serves as head coach of the Cal State-San Marcos softball program. Alongside him in Tokyo will be 2020 Olympic silver medalists Ali Aguilar and Rachel Garcia.

“This is such an amazing opportunity, and we have a talented group of players that are ready to compete internationally and represent USA Softball and Southern California,” said Robinson.

“This roster shows the growth and success of the HPP program and the opportunities that USA Softball is bringing to the game for young players across the country,” he added.

“We have a short amount of time to prepare for this event, so we will work hard to help the players develop their skills and have an enjoyable experience. Rachel and Ali are amazing leaders, and the players are getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from and play for stars from the Women’s National Team.”

Continuing the excitement from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, these matchups join the No. 1 and No. 2 world-ranked programs in an effort to grow the sport of softball and celebrate its return to the Olympic Games.

To learn more about the HPP or to get involved, visit USASoftball.com.

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2024 SoCal U-18 Women’s All-Star Team Roster: