United States women's national softball team
| United States women's national softball team | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Country | United States |
| Federation | USA Softball |
| Confederation | WBSC Americas |
| Manager | Ken Eriksen |
| WBSC World Rank | 1 (31 December 2024) |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 5 (First in 1996) |
| Best result | Gold (1996, 2000, 2004) |
| Women's Softball World Cup | |
| Appearances | 17 (First in 1965) |
| Best result | 1st (1974, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2022) |
The United States women's national softball team is the national softball team of the United States. It is governed by USA Softball (formerly known as the Amateur Softball Association) and takes part in international softball competitions. The US team has been successful in international play, taking three straight gold medals in Olympic Games and eleven titles in Women's World Cup. At the 2004 Olympics, the Americans held their opponents to only one run scored in 7 games. The lone run came in a 5–1 victory over the Australian team. However, the team then won the silver medals at the 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics, both times narrowly losing to Japan.
On March 26, 2008, the United States Olympic softball team had their 185-game winning streak (both official and exhibition games) snapped in a no-hitter thrown by Virginia Tech's pitcher Angela Tincher, who struck out 10 batters in a 1–0 exhibition win for the Hokies. The no-hit win proved something extra special in this case, as Tincher had previously tried out and failed to make the 2008 US Olympic softball team.
In 2022, the World Games featured a softball tournament for the first time, giving the Americans a chance to avenge their olympic loss in Japan. Eight members who won the silver medal a year earlier were on the team. The roster was composed of eleven former student athletes and seven current athletes from 12 NCAA Division 1 teams.