Delaney Spaulding will return her home as it was announced this week that Team USA will play in So Cal in two locations. Photo by USA Softball
Another week, another quartet of tour stops as USA Softball has announced four new locations for the Stand Beside Her tour that will take the Women’s National Team across the nation in 2020.
The four new additions include two in California and one each in Maryland and Massachusetts, giving next year’s USA Olympic Softball Team 26 cities in 15 states which they’ll visit from early February through the end of June (see the complete schedule below).
Here’s more details on the newly announced sites…
CALIFORNIA
The 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) will head to Southern California for exhibition contests against NCAA Division I and II programs as the “Stand Beside Her” tour rolls through the United States in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Hosted by USA Softball of Southern California, Team USA will be in Irvine, California on March 8, 2020 for an exhibition doubleheader followed by another exhibition doubleheader in the San Diego-area on March 10, 2020.
In addition to exhibition contests, members of the 2020 WNT will also conduct a pair of youth clinics on March 7 and March 9.
Both stops will provide the Red, White and Blue with training opportunities as the team looks to capture the Gold Medal in Tokyo where the sport of softball returns to the Olympic program for the first time since 2008.
In Irvine, fans will have the opportunity to watch Team USA compete in an exhibition doubleheader on March 8 at Bill Barber Park, Deanna Manning Stadium (4 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, Calif., 92606).
Up first, a 1 p.m. PT contest against Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM) followed by a contest against UC San Diego approximately 35 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Tickets for the games and March 7 camp are on sale and can be purchased at https://usasoftballsocal.ticketspice.com/stand-beside-her-tour-irvine. VIP tickets are $75, seat back chairs are $35 and non-seat chairs and standing room are $20.
Delaney Spaulding
“So Cal! I am so excited to be playing in Irvine for the ‘Stand Beside Her’ tour,” said 2020 WNT member and Rancho Cucamonga-native, Delaney Spaulding. “Being a local girl, having family, friends, and fans in the stands will be amazing and we can’t wait to play in front of you all. Come say hi!”
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our team, to be able to get on the field with the greatest players in the world,” said CSUSM Head Coach Stef Ewing. “It’s going to be a memorable experience (for our student-athletes) and we are excited to help Team USA prepare for the 2020 Olympics, while supporting the sport of softball.”
“What an incredible opportunity to play against the USA Olympic Team as they prepare for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,” said UC San Diego Head Coach, Patti Gerckens. “We are honored to participate in this event and will compete with pride against these outstanding athletes.”
From Irvine, the 2020 WNT will head to the San Diego-area with games to be played at Santee Sportsplex (9951 Riverwalk Dr., Santee, Calif., 92071) on March 10. Team USA will take on CSUN, which is led by 2020 WNT Assistant Coach Tairia Flowers, at 5 p.m. PT with a nightcap against San Diego State University approximately 35 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Tickets for the games and March 9 camp are now on sale at https://usasoftballsocal.ticketspice.com/stand-by-her-tour-san-diego. VIP seats are $75, seat back chairs are $45 and non-seat chairs and standing are $15.
Rachel Garcia
“I am super excited and proud to say that the Eagles will be landing in beautiful sunny Southern California for the ‘Stand Beside Her’ tour,” said 2020 WNT member and Palmdale-native, Rachel Garcia. “
I am looking forward to seeing you all out there celebrating and supporting Team USA as we make our way to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo! Southern California is where my softball career started as well as my collegiate career. I am thrilled for the opportunity to play in front of our local girls and fans and hopefully inspire them the way I was when I was a young player watching Team USA.”
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity,” said Flowers. “It will be a great challenge for our team, and we look forward to helping Team USA prepare as they get ready to take the Olympic journey.”
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to play the U.S. Olympic Team,” said San Diego State University Head Coach, Kathy Van Wyk. “These are not only the elite softball players in the United States, but in the world. It will be an amazing experience for our team and the San Diego community.”
MARYLAND
The 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team will be in Aberdeen, Maryland on June 23, 2020 as the “Stand Beside Her” tour rolls through the United States in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Amanda Chidester
“It has been an amazing lineup of tour stops that have been announced,” said 2020 WNT member, Amanda Chidester. “It is awesome that we are getting an opportunity to play in cities we have never been to. I am excited to play in Maryland and get a great crowd towards the end of our tour to create the best energy before heading to Tokyo.”
At the Aberdeen tour stop, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Red, White and Blue compete in an exhibition doubleheader with game one taking place at 5:30 p.m. ET and the second game approximately 35 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Hosted by USA Softball of Maryland-DC-Delaware and the Gold Coast Hurricanes, games will be played at Cal Seniors Park – The Ripken Experience (873 Long Dr., Aberdeen, Md., 21001). General Admission tickets are now on sale for $30 at MDDCASAJO.org.
MASSACHUETTS
The 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team is headed to the New England area on June 18, 2020 as Team USA will take on a group of NCAA All-Stars in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Bubba Nickles
“Being from the West Coast, it’s super exciting to know that fans on the other side of the country support our team so much on our journey to Tokyo,” said 2020 WNT member, Bubba Nickles. “It’s amazing to be able to go to a city I’ve never been to before and meet so many people who share the love of softball with my team and I.”
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the Red, White and Blue in an exhibition doubleheader taking place at James Martin Field (420 Douglas Rd., Lowell, Mass., 01852). Game one will take place at 5 p.m. ET with the second game taking place approximately 35 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Tickets for the game will go on sale December 20 and information for purchasing can be found at USASoftballMA.com. Reserved seats are $25 while general admission tickets are $20.
*****
The “Stand Beside Her” tour is a series of competitions and The “Stand Beside Her” message encourages fans everywhere to stand united in their support of the WNT and the United States in their journey to the Olympic Games.
The tour will kick off in February with the USA squad competing in a pair of prestigious college tournaments and run through the summer right up to the start of the Tokyo games.
The 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) has announced over the last few months several additional stops on its Stand Beside Her Tour featuring a series of competitions and training opportunities for the 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) as it prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Olympic competition will start July 22, 2020 with the Gold Medal Game being played on July 28.
As created and first announced in August by USA Softball, the Stand Beside Her tour “evokes a powerful message of unity aimed to inspire communities to stand beside HER – the members of the WNT, America and the future generation of female athletes.”
Currently there are 26 stops on the tour hitting 15 states and extending from February to June prior to next summer’s Olympic Games.
Stand Beside Her Tour Stops (as of Dec. 17, 2019)
Click on the links to get info on how to purchase tickets and where the games will be played…
Here is a visual map of all the places Team USA will play on the Stand Beside Her Tour as announced so far:
*****
Additional stops for the “Stand Beside Her” tour will be announced at a later date according to USA Softball. For more information on the “Stand Beside Her” tour, you can visit StandBesideHerTour.com.
The four new additions include two in California and one each in Maryland and Massachusetts, giving next year’s USA Olympic Softball Team 26 cities in 15 states which they’ll visit from early February through the end of June (see the complete schedule below).
The tour will kick off in February with the USA squad competing in a pair of prestigious college tournaments and run through the summer right up to the start of the Tokyo games.
