OKLAHOMA CITY — Florida sophomore utility player Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley, Calif.) and junior center fielder Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) have both accepted invitations to the 2011 USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., June 12-17. Announced by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America Wednesday, Schutte and Moultrie are among 21 athletes currently in the participation pool for the U.S. National Team Selection Camp.
“Not only is this a tremendous honor for both Michelle and Brittany, but this is a huge accomplishment for our program,” head coach Tim Walton said. “To have them in the selection pool for the National Team speaks volumes of their potential, not only as athletes, but as people.”
Both Schutte and Moultrie have played a significant role in Florida’s continued success. Moultrie leads the Gators this season in batting clip (.455), hits (56), runs scored (44), boasts a .535 on-base percentage, owns a team-leading four triples and has tallied 16-of-18 stolen bases, tops for Florida on the season. Moultrie was named to the 2010 All-SEC Second Team, while picking up SEC All-Freshman team honors her first year on campus in 2009. She was named USA Softball’s College Player of the Week March 1 for her stellar performance at the 2011 Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. Additionally, Moultrie has tallied a hit in 34 of Florida’s 37 games this season, owns a perfect fielding percentage and rode a career-long 14-game hit streak from Feb. 12-March 4.
Schutte was a standout freshman her inaugural campaign in 2010, shattering five Florida records last season and tying another. Schutte additionally downed the UF single-season slugging percentage record with her .780, including 19 homers, en route to 2010 NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-Southeast Region First Team honors. Schutte was a 2010 Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team honoree, as well as being named to the SEC All-Freshman team. In 2011, the sophomore has split her time between catcher and right field, is tied for second on the team in home runs, with 11, has drawn a team-leading 32 walks, owns a .327 batting clip, .703 slugging percentage and a .496 on-base percentage.
Former Gator standout Stacey Nelson became the first Gator to play for the USA National Team after being named to the team in the summer of 2009. Nelson pitched in three tournaments for the Red, White and Blue, including the Canada Cup, the World Cup and the Japan Cup, winning three gold medals. Nelson was also an alternate for the 2010 USA National Team.
The approximately 17 athletes selected to the 2011 USA Softball roster will compete in over seven different events in four different countries. Fans in the United States will get four opportunities to see the team in action with three exhibition stops scheduled as well as the World Cup of Softball IV, July 21-25, in Oklahoma City. For ticket information on the World Cup as well as the tour stops in Salem, Va., Bowie, Md., and Tampa, Fla., go to http://www.usasoftball.com. The 2011 Women’s National Team will also seek the program’s eighth Pan American Championship title at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 17-23.
April 6, 2011 Additions (9)
Kat Dotson (Savannah, Ga./Tennessee)
Taylor Hoagland (Flower Mound, Texas/Texas)
Whitney Larsen (Vestavia Hills, Ala./Alabama)
Meagan May (Spring, Texas/Texas A&M)
Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla./Florida)
Keilani Ricketts (San Jose, Calif./Oklahoma)
Brittany Schutte (Fountain Valley, Calif./Florida)
Jessica Shults (Valencia, Calif./Oklahoma)
Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga./Missouri)
Initial List of Participants (12) Named March 16
Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif./California)
Ashley Holcombe-Bell (Fayetteville, Ga./Alabama)
Katelyn Boyd (Phoenix, Ariz./Arizona State)
Raven Chavanne (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Tennessee)
Kaitlin Cochran (Yorba Linda, Calif./Arizona State)
Molly Johnson (Tucson, Ariz./Kentucky)
Megan Langenfeld (Bakersfield, Calif./UCLA)
Jenae Leles (Sacramento, Calif./Arizona)
Blaire Luna (Austin, Texas/Texas)
Jordan Taylor (Valencia, Calif./Michigan)
Niki Williams (Mission Viejo, Calif./Washington)
Shawna Wright (Lancaster, Calif./Washington)
The remaining players invited to selection camp will be announced in May.