Rising junior Taylor Hoagland will join 17 other female athletes on the road this summer as part of the USA Softball Women’s National Team. The team is sponsored by the Amateur Softball Association of America and will represent the United States in a number of games throughout the year.

Hoagland started every game for the Longhorns during her sophomore season and finished with a .335 batting average.

In 2011, Hoagland rewrote both the Texas record book as well as the Big 12 Record Book. Early in the season, Hoagland set the Big 12 record for most consecutive games with a hit at 26 games. She set the Texas record for most home runs in a single season with 15 and the most runs scored with 54 in a single season.

Ken Eriksen, head coach at the University of South Florida, will serve as head coach for the national team. Eriksen will be assisted by Tairia Flowers, head coach at Cal State Northridge, and Stacey Nuveman, assistant coach at San Diego State. Both are former Olympic gold medalists.

The team will start their season with a series of exhibition games around the country, including a doubleheader against the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team. In the middle of July, the team will travel to Canada for their first international tournament. At the end of July, the team will host the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City.

In October, the national Team will finish their season by representing the United States in the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, where it will be the top contender. The United States has claimed the past six titles at the Pan American Games.

Five other Big 12 athletes join Hoagland on the roster.