Two debutants and seven Olympians among the 16 players announced in the Australian Women’s Softball Team, the “Aussie Spirit”, for the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Softball World Cup Finals in Italy this July.

Today’s announcement of the 2024 Aussie Spirit team for the Women’s Softball World Cup is the first step of their campaign leading to Europe. Athletes have their final preparation with a camp in Brisbane in June before flying to compete in the Canada Cup, prior to travelling to Castions di Strada, Italy, for the eight-nation World Cup Finals.

The Aussie Spirit will be led by captain Clare Warwick who captained the team in last year’s World Cup Group Stage to qualify, where she posted a .333BA and an error-free performance in the infield.

Complementing Warwick are fellow Olympians Jade Wall, Michelle Cox, Stacey McManus, catcher Taylah Tsitsikronis, along with pitching duo Kaia Parnaby and Ellen Roberts.

Current Division 1 College Athletes Shaylan Whatman and Madison Scott will be debuting for the Spirit, with third base player Whatman (California State Northridge) sitting on a .305BA and infield utility Scott (Eastern Kentucky University) hitting an impressive .355BA in 31 games this year.

Rounding out the group of younger Spirit players set to make their World Cup debut are Jenna Trim (2024 Chinese Taipei Series), and Sasha Willems (2022 Canada Cup).

Five more players complete the Aussie Spirit team from the 2023 World Cup Group Stage in Ireland: Shannon Keevers, Tamieka Whitefield, Pippa Adkins, Georgia Hood and Kandra Lamb.

Australian Head Coach Laing Harrow said “With the amount of work the players have put in, they’ve made the selectors job incredibly difficult in picking the final 16. This is a team that has the perfect mix of youth and experience, and I can’t wait to take this talented group to Italy to compete against the world’s best.”

Softball Australia CEO Sarah Loh added “From the moment we punched our qualifying ticket in Ireland last year, we have been relentless in our pursuit of World Cup glory. We’ve provided the support and resources for our team and I’ve been impressed by the way the whole squad, the coaches and staff have embraced the challenge and are clear in what they want to achieve."

The Coaching and Support Team

Head Coach Laing Harrow, Assistant Coaches Chantelle James & Andrew Kirkpatrick, Physiotherapist Kathy Mitchell, Dietitian Sarina Lococo, Video Analyst Tony Mackie, and Team Manager Jacqui Dunn.

World Cup Finals Dates and Details

The 2024 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup is taking place in Castions di Strada, Italy, from July 15-21.

Australia is placed in Group B, opening the tournament against Japan before taking on Netherlands and Puerto Rico ahead of the Super Round.
Fans will be able to catch all the action via the WBSC’s official live streaming service at GameTime.sport.

For full event details: https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2024-womens-softball-world-cup-finals/home

Full Team List

For player profiles head to https://www.softball.org.au/player-profiles-aussie-spirit

Merchandise

Fans of both the Aussie Spirit and Steelers should keep an eye on Softball Australia channels in the coming days for some special merchandise and supporter gear.