22/07/2023 - 26/07/2023

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XVII Women's Softball World Cup 2023 - Group C - Official Payoff

XVII Women’s Softball World Cup: Group C’s hosts Italy open training camp in Florida

XVII Women’s Softball World Cup: Group C’s hosts Italy open training camp in Florida
03/01/2023
Italy will host the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group C in Castions di Strada & Butrio, from 22-26 July 2023; and the Finals in 2024.

The Italian Women’s National Softball Team opened a six-day training camp at the campus of the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida, USA, from January 3-8, 2023. With this training camp, Italy start their preparation to host the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group C in Castions di Strada & Butrio, from 22-26 July 2023; and the Finals in 2024.

Head Coach Federico Pizzolini named 18 players to open the year in the training camp in the US, including Olympians Elisa Cecchetti, Marta Gasparotto, Alexia Lacatena, Giulia Longhi, Fabrizia Marrone and Erika Piancastelli. The complete roster is:

  1. McKenzie Barbara - 1B/C
  2. Anita Bartoli - IF
  3. Elisa Cecchetti - UTL
  4. Noemi Cortesi - IF
  5. Sofia Fabbian - OF
  6. Marta Gasparotto - C
  7. Alexia Lacatena - P/1B
  8. Giulia Longhi - 3B
  9. Fabrizia Marrone - OF
  10. Tara Melassi - IF
  11. Alessia Melegari - P
  12. Alice Nicolini - P
  13. Erika Piancastelli - C/OF
  14. Elisa Princic - C
  15. Alessandra Rotondo - IF
  16. Sara Rusconi - C/1B
  17. Melany Sheldon - IF
  18. Christina Toniolo - P

During their stay in Florida, the Italian squad will stage training sessions in the morning and inter-squad games in the afternoon.

To open the XVII Women’s Softball World Cup, an expanded number of 18 teams representing the five Olympic continents have been drawn into three groups of six teams, each of them to be played in a different location. 

Italy, ranked No. 8 in the recently revealed WBSC Women’s Softball World Rankings, will host Group C of the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, playing against No. 4 Canada, No. 22 Venezuela, No. 28 New Zealand, the top team from the Asian qualifier and a wild card. Group A will be staged in Dublin, Ireland, from 11-15 July; followed by Group B in Valencia, Spain, from 18-22 July this year.

The top two teams in the the final standings of each group, plus two wild cards, will advance to the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals, to be played in 2024. As host team, Italy is the only qualified team for the final stage.