World No. 10 Australia unveiled a 19-player list to host a six-game women's softball series against No. 4 Chinese Taipei from 1-5 March. Eight Olympians from Tokyo 2020 highlight the Australian roster which will compete at the Blacktown International Sports Park this weekend. The series opening game (Friday) will be streamed live on Softball Australia's YouTube Channel.
Michelle Cox, Stacey McManus, Kaia Parnaby, Gabbie Plain, Ellen Roberts, Taylah Tsitsikronis, Jade Wall and Clare Warwick are the eight veterans from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic squad that finished fifth place in softball's historic Olympic return.
The team also features 12 players from last year's squad, which competed in Group A of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup and earned a spot in this year's Finals in Castions di Strada, Italy, where the women's softball world champions will be crowned.
The series versus Chinese Taipei represents the first international softball game on Australian soil since 2020, when the green and gold hosted the Asia Pacific Cup.
The series will serve as a tune-up for the upcoming WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals, scheduled between 15 and 21 July. Australia will play in in Group B against No. 2 Japan, No. 3 Puerto Rico and No. 8 Netherlands; while No. 1 USA, No. 5 Canada, hosts and No. 6 Italy and No. 15 China will open the Finals in Group A.
