STARKVILLE, Miss. – Former NCAA Player of the Year, Virginia Tech graduate and API Sports client Angela Tincher (Eagle Rock, VA) is on list of 27 players initially selected to try out for the USA Softball National Team June 8-12 in Chula Vista, CA. Tincher currently is playing professionally in Japan for LeoPalace 21 and will return to the United States the week of tryouts.

“I’ve always wanted to play for the National Team, so this is very exciting,” said Tincher from Japan. “It is a great personal opportunity for me to further my career and hopefully contribute to the effort to return softball to the Olympics. I’m really looking forward to getting back to the States and participating in the tryouts.”

Mississippi State University head coach Jay Miller recently was named head coach of USA Softball’s National Team, replacing longtime coach Mike Candrea. Miller will oversee the selection process and the team’s international schedule this summer.

Tincher exploded onto the softball scene when she threw a no-hitter against last year’s U.S. Olympic Team on March 26, 2008, while playing for Virginia Tech. That outing, in which she struck out 10 and walked just one, ended the U.S. team’s 185-game pre-Olympic win streak.

From there Tincher went on to lead the Hokies to the ACC Championship, a regional victory against Michigan and Tech’s first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series. For her efforts she was named the 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year, a first-team All-American, ACC Pitcher of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP and the ACC Female athlete of the Year. Tincher also was one of five finalists for the Honda-Broderick Cup, presented to the NCAA Female Athlete of the Year, and was a finalist for ESPN’s ESPY as the outstanding female college athlete.

She finished the year with an amazing 38-10 record, including two saves and four no-hitters, and let the nation in ERA for the second consecutive season at 0.63. Her career numbers include a 123-35 record, a 0.78 ERA and 2,149 strikeouts (second in NCAA history). Tincher recorded 14 career no-hitters, including two perfect games, and 120 double-digit strikeout games, including 42 contests with 16 or more strikeouts. On top of everything else, she graduated summa cum laude with a 3.84 grade-point average in finance.

The United States will compete in several international events scheduled for the summer, including the prestigious World Cup of Softball (July 16-20 in Oklahoma City), which features the top four finishers from the 2008 Olympic Games. Tincher also is a member of the National Pro Fastpitch Akron Racers, for whom she earned All-NPF honors as a rookie with a league-best 157 strikeouts. The Racers open their season June 3 at Rockford.

2009 United States Softball Selection Camp Attendees:
Angela Tincher - Eagle Rock, Va.
Monica Abbott - Salinas, Calif.
K’Lee Arredondo - Tempe, Az.
Brandice Balschmiter - Newark, N.Y.
Chelsea Bramlett - Cordova, Tenn.
Ashley Brignac - River Ridge, La.
Katie Burkhart - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Courtney Bures - Haymarket, Va.
Stacie Chambers - Glendale, Az.
Ashley Charters - Beaverton, Ore.
Kaitlin Cochran - Yorba Linda, Calif.
Andrea Duran - Selma, Calif.
Jennie Finch - La Mirada, Calif.
Vicky Galindo - Union City, Calif.
Alissa Haber - Newark, Calif.
Ashley Hansen - Chandler, Az.
Tiffany Huff - Saugus, Calif.
Lauren Lappin - Anaheim, Calif.
Brittany Lastrapes - Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Jenae Leles - Fair Oaks, Calif.
Caitlin Lowe - Tustin, Calif.
Sam Marder  - Calabasas, Calif.
Stacey Nelson - Moline, Ill.
Cat Osterman - Houston, Texas
Brittany Rogers - Dacula, Ga.
Natasha Watley - Irvine, Calif.
Tammy Williams - Roscoe, Mo.