BUIES CREEK, N.C.-After a record-breaking season during her
sophomore year at Campbell, hurler Brittany Stanley, will make an
appearance on ESPN 2, airing Saturday, July 12, at 2 p.m. EST,
pitching against Team USA on their "Bound 4 Beijing Tour."
"I
thought I would be nervous because I was pitching against the best
players in the world, but there was no pressure," said Stanley,
reflecting on the outing. "I just went out there and pitched. It
was a lot of fun and a great experience."
Stanley, who is playing with the Bloomington Lady Hearts this
summer, a team based out of Normal, Ind., near the rising junior's
home in West Lafayette, faced the national team on June 14 at
Maxwell Park, recording a pair of outs while Team USA took the 19-0
route in four innings.
Facing 10 batters in the outing, Stanley surrendered eight runs on
five hits with three walks, while striking out at the hands of
former Texas standout Cat Osterman in her only plate appearance.
Osterman would finish the contest with the one-hit win, fanning
eight Lady Hearts with a single walk to improve to 10-0 on the
tour.
Team USA, currently standing at 51-1 since embarking on the tour in
mid-February, has taken only one loss on its otherwise unblemished
record, that coming against Virginia Tech and USA Softball National
Player of the Year Angela Tincher on March 26. Tincher tossed a
no-hitter in that game, allowing just one walk in the 1-0
victory.
"I
was most excited to meet Jennie Finch out of anyone on Team USA,"
said Stanley. "She is definitely the big name on the team and is
known for so many things. She was great to talk to, and was so
nice."
So
far this summer, Stanley has amassed a 6-2 record in the circle for
the Lady Hearts, along with a 1.07 ERA. The right-hander also has a
pair of shutouts to show. In her most recent performance, Stanley
limited the Heat, a collegiate team from St. Louis, Mo. made up of
many Big 12 Conference student-athletes, to just a pair of
hits.
"It was a fantastic opportunity for Brittany, and I greatly
appreciate the national team giving so many young ladies an
opportunity to be a part of their preparations for winning the gold
in China," said Campbell head coach Drew Peterson. "The young girls
of our country dream of being a part of this elite team themselves,
and so being able to play against them and meet them becomes the
next best thing to being on the team. Events like this only help
advance the game of fast pitch softball in our country, and help
advance the careers of young ladies like Brittany. I am proud of
all she has done with the talents she has been given, and of the
way she represented God, her family, friends and teammates against
Team USA."
Stanley and the Camels ended their 2008 season with a 42-25 overall
record and the program's first Atlantic Sun Championship since
1995. Setting the school record for wins with 26, including a
historic victory over No. 13 North Carolina in the NCAA
Tournament's Chapel Hill Regional, Stanley was chosen to the North
Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA)
University Division All-State Softball Team.
In
addition, A-Sun Tournament MVP honors also went to Stanley
after working all 31.0 innings of the tourney with a perfect 4-0
record. Stanley,
meanwhile, ended her season with a 2.23 ERA, 174 strikeouts, and
seven shutouts in 257.0 innings of work, including the third
perfect game in Camel softball history.
After the July 12 TV date, the broadcast will re-air on July 18 at
3 a.m., also on ESPN 2.
