Northwestern University Athletics
Leto Invited to Tryout For U.S. National Team
4/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern junior second baseman Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) is among 45 players nationwide to be selected to tryout for the U.S. Women's National Softball Team. Leto is the only Big Ten player to be invited to try out for one of the two teams that will compete internationally this summer.
"I consider it a huge honor to be invited to tryout for the National team," Leto said. "There will be great competition and I'm just going to go out and try to do my best. Coming from the Big Ten conference, which has a lot of great players, I hope to represent the conference well."
The selection team camp will be held June 4-8 at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Two teams will be selected following the team camp. The National team will represent the United States at the U.S. Cup in Honolulu, Hawaii (June 19-22), the Canada Cup in Surrey, British Columbia (July 4-13) and the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Aug. 5-14).
The USA Softball Elite team will compete in the Canada Cup, as well as the Japan Cup in Yokohama, Japan (July 18-20).
"Carri has earned this honor because of how she plays the game," Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan said. "She is a smart player who competes with a lot of enthusiasm and works hard in every aspect of the game.
"Her commitment to the sport, as well as playing internationally last year, has elevated her game. She has caught the attention of many of the national coaches. We are extremely proud of her."
Leto competed for Team Smith during the summer of 2002, an elite team that participated in the Canada Cup. She was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore after tying a Northwestern single-season record with 13 doubles, while hitting .343. Leto was also a first-team NFCA All-Mideast Region pick as a freshman.
This season, Leto leads the Wildcats and ranks second in the Big Ten with five triples. Her 11 career triples rank fifth on NU's all-time list. Leto has been nearly flawless defensively, commiting just two errors in 144 chances while turning five double plays.
Northwestern is currently 24-12 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats return to action at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when they travel to Illinois-Chicago. NU hosts Wisconsin at 3 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday before hosting a doubleheader with Minnesota at noon Sunday.
