USA softball has invited 40 players to this week's camp in Irvine, California. These 40 players have accepted the invite and will have their opportunity to represent the red, white, and blue. We break down and compare the pitchers and catchers. Only 17 players will be selected out of the 40. The pitcher pool is a mix of experienced veterans and young up and comers. The main question will be can the young inexperienced pitchers compete with the veteran pitchers who have been with USA for a few years.

The other half of the equation will be the captain behind the plate. Most of them are very strong behind the plate. The selection committee will have their hands full deciding whether to go with offense or defense. 

USA Pitcher Breakdown

Valerie Arioto, Cal Pitcher/First Baseman 2012
Arioto batted .342 at Cal with 54 home runs and 186 RBIs in her career.  In the circle, she posted a 1.77 ERA with 697 strikeouts in her four years as a Cal Bear. Arioto's best strikeout pitch is her knee-buckling change up. Jolene Henderson, former Bear teammate commented, "She has the best eye I've ever seen as a hitter and crazy quick hands." Arioto has experience playing internationally and the wins that come with it. 

Kelly Barnhill, Florida, Pitcher, Freshman
Full Count Softball ranked Barnhill the No. 1 player in her class.  "Throwing consistently in the 69-70 mph range (and having been clocked as high as 73 mph), Kelly also mixes in a rise and drop ball complemented by a change-up that can make batters look silly. As a junior, she went 16-3 with a 0.52 ERA and limited opposing hitters to a .070 average to earn All-State honors for the second year in a row." This will be her first season with the Gators and her toughness will undoubtedly be tested. 

Ally Carda UCLA 2015, Pitcher
Carda was named to the 2015 USA Softball Women's National Team. The UCLA pitcher took the Bruins to the World Series last year with a 2.62 ERA with 240 innings pitched and 281 strikeouts. Carda finished her career with 825 strikeouts. Ally will need to get her walks down as she finished her senior year with 123 base on balls. With a .349 batting average and 180 RBIs, Carda certainly holds her own in the box.

Zoe Conley, Cal - Sophomore
Conley comes off a stellar freshman season name 2015 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-Big West, Big West All-Freshmen Team, First Team NFCA All-West Region, and one of 25 Finalists for 2015 NFCA Freshman of the Year. Zoe held a 1.84 ERA with 134 strikeouts in 156 innings pitched. Cal added another solid transfer in Conley who's hometown is none other than, Berkeley, CA. Pitching in the Pac 12 will be challenging to say the least. Cal comes with a difficult schedule. 

Jessica Moore Oregon - 2013
Moore is Oregon's greatest pitcher to come through the program holding the record for wins (73) and strikeouts (713). Named All-Pac-12 & All-Region First Team 2011 and 2012. Not only is she experienced, her pitching mentors are Lisa Dodd, Mike White, and now Ken Eriksen. Moore commands the strike zone and demands a win with every pitch. She will beat you with power and the finesse of her change up. Above all else, she has the mental edge and toughness over hitters mixing her drop, rise, and change. 

Sara Nevins South Florida - 2014
Nevins was the first USF Softball player to become a three-time All-American. The southpaw was named American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, All-American Athletic Conference First Team, NFCA Mideast All-Region First Team Finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. Nevins was also a Top 25 finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year 1.25 ERA, 432 strikeouts in 2014.

Jaclyn Traina Alabama - 2014
Traina, a 2014 graduate out of Naples, Florida, finished her Alabama career with 106 wins, making her just the third player in school history and ninth in SEC history with over 100 career wins. Along with McCleney, Traina was also named a Top 10 Finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award. She was named a First Team All-American in 2014, making her the fifth four-time All-American in school history and the only one to earn three First Team honors. She earned her second career SEC Pitcher of the Year award in 2014, suffering just one loss in conference play en route to the team's fifth SEC Championship. Traina also ranks third in career strikeout average (7.91), third in saves (10), third in games started (130), third in innings pitched (863.2), sixth in career opposing batting average (.199) and sixth in ERA (2.03). she owns top-ten career marks in slugging percentage (3rd, .678), on-base percentage (6th, .472), home runs (8th, 36) and batting average (10th, .335).

Since graduating, Traina has been overseas in Japan pitching for Team Denso. "She would bring a team-first attitude, a great work ethic, and keep the team calm in a tough situation," comments Pat Murphy.

Cheridan Hawkins Oregon - Senior
Cheridan will move the ball north, south, east, and west keeping the hitters guessing. Hawkins played for both the United States Junior National Team and the Senior National Team in the summer of 2013 where they won a silver medal with team USA at the World Junior Championships in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. She struck out all nine batters she faced in three innings as she picked up the victory in a 10-0 run-rule against Great Britain in the first game of the Junior Championships. Hawkins now in her senior season at Oregon developed into a strong leader through her experience on the mound making it to the World Series. 

Hawkins was named First Team All-Pac-12, All-Pac-12 Freshman Team, Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-Pac-12, First Team All-Pacific Region. A force to be reckoned with in her second season with the Ducks. She went 35-6 with a 1.66 ERA in 50 appearances (36 starts) over 249.1 innings pitched. She also tossed 24 complete games and 12 shutouts striking out 330 batters. Opponents hit only .167 off her. 

Rainey Gaffin Tennessee - Senior
Gaffin, with a 1.89 ERA had 121 strikeouts in 125 innings, pitched her last season leading her team to the World Series. She batted .308 with 67 RBIs in three seasons. In 2015, she was named an NFCA Division I All-American and NFCA Division I Second Team All-Southeast Region. Not only does Rainey pitch, she is a talented outfielder earning SEC All-Defensive last season.

Paige Lowary Missouri - Soph.
One of the Tigers' top arms in the circle in her first year, going 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA with 164 strikeouts in 162.2 innings pitched. She was named to the Freshman All-SEC team and was named to the 2015 USA Softball Jr. Women's National Team. Lowary is another lefty with tremendous strikeout potential making her one of the top pitchers to watch in the next few years.

USA Catcher Breakdown

Day 1: During the "Fundamentals" session, the majority of catchers had a poor performance. From what I observed, the nerves seemed to permeate through all of the catchers trying out. Many of them rushed their transfers which resulted in a breakdown in the sequence of their throws. Throws in the dirt. Throws that sailed in the air. The catchers were challenged calling the game for three different pitchers with some of the best hitters at the plate. Some were successful and some were not so successful. The best catcher of the day was Aubree Munro. 

Annie Aldrete, Cal Berkeley, Junior
Annie, a catcher/infielder transferred to Cal this summer to be closer to family. At the University of Tennessee, she batted .331 with 34 home runs in two seasons. Named NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year (Co-Winner), First team All-SEC, and Freshman All-SEC in 2014. NFCA Division I First Team All-Southeast Region in 2014, 2015. Last season, Aldrete was named to Second Team All-SEC. 

Day 1: Aldrete has a strong arm and a quick transfer recording a 1.7 pop time throwing from her feet.  Pitch calling was sufficient. Annie struggled at the plate today striking out off of Moore. 

Amanda Chidester, Michigan 2012
Two-time Big Ten Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012. Two-time NFCA All-American in 2009 and 2011. Chidester was Michigan's Big Ten Medal of Honor winner in 2012. Amanda finished her career ranked second in RBI (200), second in grand slams (5), fourth in slugging percentage (.596), fifth in home runs (40), ninth in hits (248) and 10th in runs scored (157).

Day 1:  Chidester fastest pop time was 1.66 starting the drill with her body half turned throwing from her knees. She has tons personality and brings lightness to the team. Amanda recorded a 1.66 pop time. Although she did not have her best today, I would expect her to have a much better performance on Day 2. 

Aubree Munro Florida - Senior
The captain behind the plate winning back to back championship with the Florida Gators. There is no doubt that Aubrey Munro is one of the best catchers in the country. Her only hang up is whether or not she can hit. Last season she batted .225 with 15 RBIs in 89 at-bats. One thing you can't deny is her ability to play big in big situations. Aubree was named to both the 2014 and 2015 Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team. Munro has a .996 fielding percentage which is No. 2 in the Florida record books. Munro may has the upper hand over Jessica Plaza because of the rings on her fingers.

Day 1: Munro recorded a 1.66 pop time during the fundamentals session throwing from her knees. Down in the count 1-2, Aubree singled up the middle driving in the runner at second. Munro did allow one steal by Morgan Zerkle who tallied 47 steals last season with Marshall. Aubree countered with a pick off with fellow Gator Kelsey Stuart, but Zerkle was called safe. Munro's command of tempo and communication was the best among all of the catchers. 

Jessica Plaza Stanford - Senior
Plaza is comparable to Munro offensively. She has the potential for power but does not have the numbers to show for it. Plaza batted .232 with 17 RBIs in 112 at-bats. Behind the plate, she has a .997 fielding percentage. The Stanford Cardinals finished dead last in the Pac 12. Ouch. Does Plaza know how to win? Absolutely. Prior to Stanford, she won to PGF titles with the So Cal Athletics. However, those wins are old news. Now in her senior season, Plaza needs to go out with a bang to solidify whether or not she can help her team win gold.

"Plaza is a high-level field general. She's in control of the game, knows how to get the best out of each pitcher, and has a cannon for an arm. Her x-factor is that she processes the game faster than it happens. She reads the situation, diagnoses the correct play and effectively communicates the info. And a bonus is that she's hilarious!" - Rachel Hanson, Head Coach, Stanford

Day 1: Plaza struggled during the fundamental session, but began to settle in at the end. Jess did not have any production at the plate even when she's faced all three of the pitchers prior to the tryout.

Jenavee Peres San Diego State - Sophomore 
Jenavee goes into her sophomore season batting .347, 48 RBIs, nine home runs, with nine errors on defense. "Jenavee brings a lot of maturity and is a calming presence behind the plate. She is an excellent game manager and is tremendous communicating with pitchers and getting to know their idiosyncrasies. She calls a great game, and understands how to set up hitters while keeping to a game plan and complimenting the pitchers strengths. Offensively, she has phenomenal power and is always working on her consistency. The ball jumps off her bat! And she's fast on the base paths…sneaky fast! She is a gifted athlete and a great young woman!" - Stacey Nuveman Denis, Associate Head Coach, San Diego State

Day 1: Jenavee looked to be one of the weaker catchers behind the plate. She had strong pop time at 1.78 on a line. Her inexperience showed when it came to calling pitches. She has a solid swing, but popped out with no run production.

Gwen Svekis Oregon - Sophomore
Gwen tied for the highest batting average last season batting .427, with six home runs, 28 RBIs. Svekis hits to all fields for power and average. Gwen has the responsibility to fill in the shoes of senior catcher Janelle Lindvall. Svekis will need to gain experience growing into a leader and commanding the defense. When's she's not catching, she's in the outfield. Don't be fooled by her size, the girl can run.

Day 1: Gwen fastest pop time was 1.8 from her feet. She had a solid performance mixing pitches for Jessica Moore. The two worked together for five hitters striking three out of the five out. Gwen may have the advantage working with Cheridan Hawkins and the Jessica Moore. Traina handcuffed her on a first pitch resulting in a runner advancing. Svekis had a strong day at the plate with two singles. 

Paige Halstead UCLA - Freshman
Halstead was the No. 10 player in her class. Paige definitely stood out among the catchers standing 6-1 with a cannon behind the plate. She has the physical tools and with experience she should be one of the top catchers in college.

Day 1: She recorded a 1.76 pop time from home to second throwing from her knees. Her hitting has come on and as she got more comfortable she drew a walk and singled up the middle.  Also impressive is her command and presence on the field in taking charge and conveying confidence.