The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced the 18-player squad on Friday after a three-day selection camp earlier in the week.
The National Team will take part in three competitions this summer, beginning with the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, July 11-14.
Following the World Cup, Team USA is then slated to compete July 16-22 at the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship in Surrey, B.C., Canada and August 5-18 at an International Softball Federation (ISF) Women’s World Championship/Pan American Games qualifier in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ricketts spent each of the last two summers with the National Team, helping the squad win the 2012 World Cup of Softball and also take silver at the 2012 ISF XIII Women's World Fastpitch Championship and Canadian Open International Championship.
Chamberlain and Martinez were teammates on the 2010-11 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team, winning gold medals at the III Pan American Championship. Both will be making their first appearance with the National Team.
The two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Ricketts was 35-1 this season with a 1.23 earned run average and 350 strikeouts in 238.1 innings pitched. She posted the second most shutouts in the nation this year with 16 and ranked third in wins (35), fifth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.61), sixth in total strikeouts (350) and eighth in both ERA (1.23) and strikeouts per seven innings (10.3).
Additionally, Ricketts hit .379 at the plate with 15 home runs and 60 runs batted in. She slugged .725, got on base at a .534 clip and was a perfect 9-9 on stolen bases.
One of three finalists for the 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Chamberlain led the nation in home runs (30), home runs per game (0.49), slugging percentage (1.113) and runs per game (1.43), ranked second in on-base percentage (.613) and RBI per game (1.38), fourth in walks per game (1.03) and eighth in batting average (.458).
Chamberlain, a first-team All-American, also set Big 12 records for runs scored (87), RBI (84), total bases (187) and on-base percentage and tied the single-season home run mark that she set last season.
Martinez was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, All-Region Second Team and earned a spot on the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team along with Chamberlain and Ricketts. The outfielder hit .347 on the season with 30 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, 24 RBI and nine stolen bases.
/// SoonerSports PR
