Ragin’ Cajuns softball All-American and 2011 USA Softball National Player of the Year Top 10 finalist Christi Orgeron is in Plant City, Fla., this weekend ready to sport a Team USA uniform for the first time.

One week removed from learning of her selection to the team, the New Orleans native and 2011 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year joins her 17 teammates down in Florida for the start of exhibition play which will mark her debut with the USA Softball Women’s National Team.

Team USA opens up with an exhibition doubleheader against the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team on Saturday, June 25 beginning at 5 p.m. CT.  The games will take place at the Plant City Stadium, just outside of Tampa.

From there, the National Team heads to Salem, Va., for another exhibition series with the Junior Team on June 29, with the final doubleheader between the two teams being held in Bowie, Md., on July 1.

Oregeron will then head to Surrey, B.C. for the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship, held from July 9-17.  Team USA will then return to the United States for the World Cup of Softball VI, which runs from July 21-25 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Tickets are still available for the World Cup at www.softballoutlet.com.

Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./Head Coach at USF) serves as head coach of the National Team and he is assisted by Olympic Gold Medalists Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz./Head Coach at Cal State Northridge) and Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif./Assistant Coach at San Diego State), who retired their cleats following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Mike White (Eugene, Ore./Head Coach at the University of Oregon) is also making his first appearance with the team following a successful career as a USA Softball athlete in the Men’s Fast Pitch National Team Program.

Orgeron’s debut on Saturday will mark the first time a Ragin’ Cajuns softball player competes as a member of the USA Softball Women’s National Team.

— Ragin’ Cajuns —