TAMPA ? USF softball head coach Ken Eriksen was named to the coaching staff for the USA Softball Women's National Team. Eriksen was selected by the Women's National Team Selection Committee from a pool of 14 coaches.
“I am honored to once again be working directly with the athletes on Team USA,” said Eriksen. “I am looking forward to working with head coach Jay Miller of Mississippi State.”
Eriksen will assist in the Selection Camp in Chula Vista, Calif. (June 8-12), Training Camp in Chula Vista, Calif. (June 29-July 2), Canada Cup in Surrey, B.C. Canada( July 3-12), and the World Cup of Softball presented by KFC in Oklahoma City, Okla. (July 13-20).
Eriksen also was an assistant coach for the US National Team beginning in 2001. He also coached internationally in 1999 for the USA Men's 19U Team.
In 2001, Eriksen was named assistant coach with the United States Women's National Team and made history helping lead TEAM USA to an Olympic gold medal in 2004 while becoming the only USF coach in school history to accomplish such a feat.
Eriksen was awarded the Regional Coach of the Year in 1998, the C-USA Coach of the Year in 2003 and the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year in 2008.
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men's, Women's, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of the only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles.
A graduate and former student-athlete at USF, Eriksen began coaching for the Bulls in 1986 as an assistant coach for women's softball and finished in 1996. He has been the head coach from 1997 to present and currently holds a 973-521-1 record.
