Sept. 2, 2011
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By Jordean Matthews
UCFAthletics.com
CARY, N.C. - Three members of the UCF softball family traveled to the USA Baseball National Training Center in Cary, N.C., for the 2011 USA Baseball Women's National Team Trials in August.
Former UCF players Abby McClain (Waterloo, Iowa) and Tawny Swan (Gilbert, Ariz.) as well as current Knight Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) competed amongst the Top 36 invited female baseball players in the United States the week of Aug. 8. The women were split into two teams, Red and Blue, and played in six games against the Canadian National Team, Raleigh Red Sox Men's Team and members of the opposite USA team.
The Women's National Team will compete against teams from all over the world in 2012 for a Gold Medal in the World Championship. All three of the women associated with UCF did well at the trials. Swan secured an invitation back to the 2012 trials team while Land and McClain will attend a regional tryout next year to earn another invitation to trials in 2012.
UCF softball assistant coach Ruben Felix was also in attendance as the manager for USA Blue Team which went 3-3 in the friendship series tournament.
McClain and Swan were seniors for the Knights in 2011. McClain led UCF in home runs (8), RBI (23), walks (24) and fielding percentage (.989) and was also a leader off the field. She was a member of the Capital One Academic All-District III First Team, Conference USA All-Academic Team and C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. She also was a recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal.
Swan started every game for the Knights last season, and ranked second on the team in doubles (6), third in triples (2) and stolen bases (9), fourth in hits (39) and fifth in batting average (.242) and RBI (13). Swan was also named the C-USA Hitter of the Week on May 2.
Land is entering her senior season for the Knights. She also started every game for UCF, leading the Knights in batting average (.346), runs (31), hits (54), doubles (7), triples (5), slugging percentage (.513), on-base percentage (.436), sacrifice hits (9) and stolen bases (25).
Land scored three game-winning runs and two game-winning RBI in her junior season and was a top student-athlete. She was a member of the All-C-USA First Team, Capital One Academic All-District III First Team and C-USA All-Academic Team. Land was also on the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
The women were invited to this year's USA Trials as a qualification to potentially being invited back for the 2012 team trials with a chance to make the USA National Team that will be competing in a World Cup Tournament next year in Edmonton, Canada.