The Victorian Titans team set to compete for the Gilley Shield at January’s 73^rd Women’s National Championships held in Mirrabooka, Western Australia has now been finalised.

Two international stars and a top Australian utility have been added to the final squad.

Head Coach Mark Rigg couldn’t hold back his excitement at announcing USA’s Kelly Barnhill, Italy’s Greta Cecchetti and Australian veteran Clare Warwick as the three key inclusions.

“We’re extremely excited to have these three very quality players and individuals involved,” he said.

“We’re really lucky to secure the services of Kelly who’s a high profile and world class athlete and was taken as the number one pick overall in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch) draft last year.”

“We have a great relationship with the Florida Gators and their Head Coach Tim Walton, which is part of the process we follow to get these players over here.”

“Greta is a quality player, she played a major part in helping Italy qualify into the Olympics. She’s the number one pitcher in Europe and we’re very happy to have her on board.”

The addition of Australian leader Clare Warwick is a great opportunity to add another dimension to the already established Titans group.

“It’s not often the best players in the country are available, so to add Clare to our roster is extremely exciting.” Rigg said.

“Claire has played over 200 games for Australia, has been in the national team for nearly 10 years – a natural leader and a really quality person.”

Rigg realised the importance of recruiting players that remain true to team values, which has been a major focus in the squad’s preparation for the championships.

“It’s great to have talented individuals, but an important focus for us is to make our team a quality team,” he said.

“Looking at our values and making sure everyone meets those values is a significant factor towards our preparation.”

Rigg is pleased with co-captain’s Marina Walker and Sarah Tutchener who are having a strong influence on the team’s lead up to Mirrabooka.

“Our leadership team consists of co-captain’s Marina Walker and Sarah Tutchener, both have been long-serving members of our team.”

“They compliment each other nicely, and are both quality players. Sarah will do more of the talking, while Marina will do more leading on the field.”

Final team:

The Women’s National Championships will be held in Mirrabooka, WA from 4 – 10 January 2020, stay tuned to Softball Victoria’s website as more team updates are released in the coming weeks.

(Header Image: Kelly Barnhill in full force)