May 25, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and USA Softball announced that Arizona State University freshman pitcher Katie Burkhart is among the 32 initial athletes invited to participate in the 2005 Women's National Team Selection Camp, June 13-17, at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. The Women's Selection Committee will announce the remaining athletes invited to the selection camp on May 18.
A Pac-10 honorable mention selection, Burkhart notched a team-high 12 wins, including a no-hitter, a combined no-hitter with six shutouts and a Pac-10 leading five saves (10th nationally). Overall in 38 appearances (184 innings), Burkhart, who strikes out 8.4 batters per 7 innings, carried a team-leading 1.52 ERA (sixth in the Pac-10). The San Luis Obispo, Calif. native finished her initial season with the sixth-best single-season record in strikeouts with 220 and posted six double-digit strikeout games and two nine K games. Burkhart also led the team in opponents batting average (.176/fifth in Pac-10).
"We are excited to get the 2005 season rolling," said Director of National Teams Ronnie Isham. "After our success in Athens, we must continue to put the best players and coaches on the field to remain at the top of the game and aim for USA Softball's fourth consecutive gold medal in Beijing 2008."
An 18-member national team and 16-member elite team will be selected from this camp to represent the United States in the various international events in 2005. The National team will participate in an exhibition versus Australia on July 12 in Irvine, Calif., the World Cup of Softball July 14-18 in Oklahoma City, and the Japan Cup July 16- August 5 in Yokohama, Japan. The Elite team will participate in the Canada Cup June 29-July 11 in Surrey, B.C., and the Inter-Continental Spain Cup July 20-July 28 in Madrid, Spain.