University of Massachusets Athletics
Balschmiter Named To USA Softball Pan American Qualifier Team
June 15, 2009 | Softball
June 15, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. - The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced on Monday the three teams that will represent USA Softball Women's National team program during the 2009 summer season, with UMass alum Brandice Balschmiter being named to the USA Pan American Qualifying Team. The Pan Am qualifying tournament will be held in Maracay, Venezuela on July 31 to August 9. The three teams were selected after a selection camp last week in Chula Vista, Calif.
Besides Balschmiter's Pan American Qualifying Team, USA Softball also announced its National Team, which will compete at both the Canada Cup in Surrey, B.C. and the KFC World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, and its Japan Cup Team, which will compete in Sendai, Japan, July 31-August 2. The three rosters will represent a new era of USA Softball as there are only eight returning players from the 2008 Olympic team.
In 2009, Balschmiter was named a NFCA All-American and was taken with the fifth overall pick of the National Pro Fastpitch draft by the Chicago Bandits. The Newark, N.Y. native was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year for a record fourth time, while also earning her fourth-straight A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, A-10 All-Conference First Team, NFCA All-Region First Team honors, and Easton All-American honors.
The 6-1 right-hander finished her career at or near the top of the UMass record books in almost every pitching category. Her single-season record 34 wins in 2009 gave her 126 in her career, against just 33 losses. Her win total is the most in UMass history and ranks ninth in NCAA history. She also became just the 26th player in NCAA history to eclipse the 1,200-strikeout mark in a career, doing so in the Atlantic 10 Championship. Her 1,218 strikeouts are second to only Danielle Henderson in UMass history. Her 1,089 innings pitched are the most of any pitcher in school history.
The roster for the 2009 USA Softball Pan American Qualifier Team is as follows:
Monica Abbott - Salinas, Calif.
K'Lee Arredondo - Tempe, Az.
Brandice Balschmiter - Newark, N.Y.
Chelsea Bramlett - Cordova, Tenn.
Kaitlin Cochran - Yorba Linda, Calif.
Andrea Duran - Selma, Calif.
Vicky Galindo - Union City, Calif.
Ashley Hansen - Chandler, Az.
Ashley Holcombe - Fayetteville, Ga.
Megan Langenfeld - Bakersfield, Calif.
Caitlin Lowe - Tustin, Calif.
Nikki Nemitz - St. Clair Shores, Mich.
Melissa Roth - Long Beach, Calif.
Katie Schroeder - Yorba Linda, Calif.
Angela Tincher - Eagle Rock, Va.
Maggie Viefhaus - Pacific, Mo.
Tammy Williams - Roscoe, Mo.
