OKLAHOMA CITY – USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, is proud to announce the selection of Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) as the 2017 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year. Moultrie, who has been a member of the Women’s National Team (WNT) since 2011, was a staple of the U.S. lineup that earned Gold at the Pan American Championship.
"I've never been a part of a team so selfless and for one another as the 2017 Women's National Team,” said Moultrie. “We enjoyed being together and that affected the way that we played. I'm honored and thankful to God and my teammates for an environment so freeing that allowed us to have an amazing summer together!"
Moultrie made an appearance in all but two games last summer for the WNT, which competed at the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, the Pan American Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and the Japan Cup. At the World Cup of Softball, Moultrie went 7-for-21 (.333) with one home run, four runs scored and five RBI. In the Dominican Republic, Moultrie was lights out at the plate, going 17-for-33 (.515) with one home run, nine RBI and 12 runs scored as the U.S. earned the Gold to qualify for the 2018 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s World Championship and 2019 Pan American Games. At the Japan Cup, the final event of the 2017 season, Moultrie continued her hot-hitting streak. Going 7-for-15 (.467), Moultrie collected three RBI with one home run and two runs scored.
“Michelle Moultrie epitomizes what it takes to be not only a great player on the ball field, but also what it takes as a person to represent the United States in international competition,” said Women’s National Team Head Coach, Ken Eriksen. “As a core member of this program, we are so proud of Michelle’s ability to be a role model for young girls throughout our country. This award is well deserved for one of the leaders of Team USA Softball.”
For the summer, Moultrie amassed a .419 (31-for-74) batting average with three home runs, 19 runs scored and 17 RBI. Her top performance of the summer came against Canada in the Bronze Medal Game of the Pan American Championship where she picked up five RBI with three runs scored.
You can find more information about Moultrie as well as complete results for the 2017 USA Softball WNT atUSASoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 69 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit,www.USASoftball.com.
