Event News: USA Team Wins 2020 International Women’s Invitational Tournament in Taiwan

Last week we told you about the 2020 Women’s International Invitational Tournament held Jan. 17-20 in Puli, Taiwan which included teams from Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea and the United States.

The U.S. squad, comprised of players ranging in age from graduated college players (two) down to 8^th graders (four) and all ages in-between, ended up as the champions of the tournament going 4-2.

The team also swept the All-Tournament Awards:

Offensive MVP
Courtney James, senior (2020), Fishers HS (Indiana Shockwaves 18U Davis, Northern Illinois University commit)

Defensive MVP
McKenzie Walters, freshman (2023), Tri-West HS (Indiana Dreams 16U Greene, uncommitted)

Pitching MVP
Jordan Benefiel, senior (2020), Pendleton Heights HS (Indiana Shockwaves 18U Davis, Austin Peay State University commit)

Mental Attitude Award
Taylor Erschen, senior 2020, Lawrence North HS (Beverly Bandits 18U Dorsey, University of Dayton commit)

As an extra bonus, the team got to face the Taiwan National team in an exhibition game on Tuesday (local time) and lost 6-0, but still the trip was a big success according to players and coaches alike.

For these 17 players from the Hoosier State, they got to experience a different culture, establish new friendships, playing some championship softball and collect souvenirs and memories that will last a lifetime.

Whitney Duell, a 2024 shortstop for the Indiana Shockwaves 06 – Tesnar team said: “I really enjoyed playing with the older girls and learning from them. I truly loved all the people we met and playing against over there because they were all so nice and kind, even with the language barrier. The game pace seemed a lot faster and the teams over there played impeccable defense!”

McKenzie Walters, a 2023 infielder for the Indiana Dreams – Greene team, added: “I really enjoyed the experience of playing in another country. Everyone in Taiwan is very friendly. I also enjoyed seeing the different culture and the way they played the game.”

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Event News: Group of Indiana Players Represent USA in 2020 International Women’s Invitational Tournament Held in Taiwan

Originally published Jan. 16, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball

Fifteen travel players and two former college players are in Puli, Taiwan, to represent the United States in the 2020 International Women’s Invitational Tournament Jan 16-23, 2020.

The American team is made up of a mix of players from various high schools and travel organizations from Indiana.  In addition to the two former college players, there are six high school seniors, three sophomores, two freshman and four 8^th graders who have made the trek across the Pacific.

They will play one exhibition game on Jan 17 in Taipei (which is Jan 16 in the United States), and then play six pool play games before entering the single elimination bracket round on Jan 20.

One of our first Inside Pitch posts last year  was from Lindsey Long (#74, 2022, Extra Inning Extra Elite 100) who wrote about the trip and the earthquakes they experienced while there.

Lindsey, who now plays for Texas Glory 16U Naudin, is one of two returning players on the Taiwan trip this year.

The roster for this year’s team is below, and includes several committed players:

The team will have all its pool play games in the morning Taiwan time so that parents and others back home can view the live streaming in the early evening (Taiwan is 13 hours ahead of the eastern US time zone).

The schedule is as follows:

Game times (Eastern time in the U.S.)

• Jan 16—8:30 pm (exhibition)
• Jan 17—7:30 pm & 9 pm (pool)
• Jan 18—7:30 & 9 pm (pool)
• Jan 19—7:30 & 9 pm (pool)
• Jan 20 —TBD (single elimination bracket)

As Lindsey wrote in her blog post, the team will use its free time for study tables and to tour cultural sites, visiting several Buddhist temples, a monastery, and some of the local markets for shopping.

The trip is organized by Softball One, which is a travel organization from the Indianapolis area.  One of its founders is Laview Wumas-Wen, who was a member of the 2008 Taiwanese Olympic softball team that competed in Beijing and is now living in Indiana.

Her former Olympic coach hosts the International Women’s Invitational Tournament every year in Puli, Taiwan.  Teams from fall attend, and Softball One is now sending their 4^th team to the tournament over the last 10 years.

Whitney Duell, a 2024 shortstop for the Indiana Shockwaves 06 – Tesnar travel team said of the trip, “I really enjoyed playing with the older girls and learning from them. I truly loved all the people I met and playing against over there because they were so nice and kind, even with the language barrier.”

How was the style of play compared to what she was used to?

“The game pace seemed a lot faster

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USA Team Roster for 2020 International Women’s Invitational Tournament