Photo By EJ Hersom | Army Sgt. Araya Ayala throws the ball to to third base during the 2024 Armed Forces...... read more read more
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Air Force Men’s and Army Women’s teams secured top seeds as the USA Softball Armed Forces tournament heads into its championship series at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park this weekend.
The teams completed a three-day double round robin on Friday before advancing to the final two days of double elimination play where the Navy Women’s and Army men’s team will seek to defend their 2023 titles.
The Air Force led the Men’s division with five wins and one loss. They are followed by the Army with three wins and three loses. The Marine Corps will take the third seed with three wins and three losses, trailing Army in run differential. The Navy will round out the Men’s bracket, coming into the weekend with one win and five losses.
“Every game is a dog fight” Air Force Men’s Coach Master Sgt. John Adams said Friday night after clinching the first seed with a win over Army.
Adam’s said his strategy going into the weekend will be to take it one game at a time.
“It doesn’t matter what seed you are, what record, how bad or how good you’ve been playing all week, you’ve got to take it one game at a time,” he said. “And if we look ahead, that’s where we get in trouble.”
On the Women’s side, the Army leads with five wins and one loss, followed by the Air Force at four and two. The Navy with a record of 2-4 and Marine Corps’ record of 1-5 took the third and fourth seeds, respectively.
Army Women’s Assistant Coach Master Sgt. Deanna Cubert said this week is all about representing the Army as a team, adding that 2024 is a redemption year for the team following las year’s nine and one record.
“We have a big opportunity and objective to come back,” she said. “And I think these girls are doing exactly that. They’re hitting behind each other. They’re trusting each other. They’re trusting their defense, and it’s just coming together.”
The teams will battle it out for this year’s title Saturday and Sunday at Devon Park’s premier softball stadium – OGE Energy Field.
Top players from across the four men’s and four women’s teams will be selected during the tournament to play on the men’s and women’s USA Softball Armed Forces All-Tournament Team for follow on competition. Players will be evaluated to represent the Armed Forces in higher level tournaments by the U.S. Armed Forces Selection Committee.
U.S. Armed Forces Sports is an affiliate member of USA Softball and has held softball competitions dating back to 1972. Teams are comprised of active duty, reserve and national guard personnel from military installations across the world.
This year marks the second Armed Forces Championship to be held at Devon Park, the home of the USA Softball Hall of Fame, after the teams made their debut at the venue last year.
Devon Park has hosted several marquee events dating back to 1987 including the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship and the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2024 10:00 |
| Story ID: | 478898 |
| Location: | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Teams Advance to Weekend Series to Compete for the 2024 Armed Forces Softball Championship Title, by Joseph Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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