Berg, Arriola Help US Teams at World Cup
CORVALLIS – Oregon State head coach Laura Berg and standout shortstop McKenna Arriola both wrapped up an outstanding week of play at the World Cup of Softball in Irvine, Calif. this week. Berg served as an assistant coach for Team USA, while Arriola played with the USA Junior Women’s National Team.
Berg’s USA squad won the World Cup, going 7-1 in the event on their way to a 6-1 win over Japan in the championship game on July 5. Overall, Team USA outscored its opponents 49-9 in the event. The World Cup title was the eighth in USA Softball history, and it marked the seventh time the Stars and Stripes have played Japan in the championship game.
Berg has continued her legacy with the national team in a coaching capacity after a playing career that saw her become the most decorated USA Softball Olympic athlete in history, helping her nation to three golds (1996 - Atlanta, 2000 - Sydney, 2004 - Athens) and one silver (2008 - Beijing). She won 11 total medals as a player, 10 gold, while competing for the U.S. in the Olympic Games, the ISF Women's World Championship and the Pan American Games.
Arriola helped pace the USA Junior National Team to a fifth-place finish in World Cup, as the team went 3-4 over the course of the week, and topped Mexico 6-5 in the fifth-place game. Arriola made three appearances for the squad, including one start. Her tournament was highlighted by a seventh-inning RBI against Japan on July 4.
The shortstop started all 52 games for the Beavers in her freshman campaign, batting .262. Arriola opened her collegiate career with a homer in her first at-bat and never looked back, finishing the year with six extra-base hits and 39 runs scored. She also led Oregon State is steals, converting all seven of her attempts.
As a team, the Beavers posted an excellent offensive output in 2015, batting .298, the best total in school history. Oregon State also scored 300 runs, one shy of a school record, en route to a 26-26 season. The year was highlighted by road wins over No. 16 Arizona State, No. 20 Washington and California.
Oregon State will head into the 2016 season with a core of talented players, including All-Pac-12 honorees Natalie Hampton, Mikela Manewa and Beverly Miller, and Pac-12 Freshman award winners Alysha Everett, Lovie Lopez and Arriola. The Beavers will also welcome in six freshman for the upcoming season. Read more about them by clicking here.
