MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Marines not only train hard, but they play hard as well, and for female Marines who enjoy softball, a great opportunity is right around the corner.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Dan Sullivan, the women’s softball coach for the All-Marine Softball team, will be visiting Camp Lejeune to hold a tryout session, Aug. 6.
“I’m looking for female Marines that have the ability and good attitude to play at the All-Marine level,” said Sullivan. “During the tryouts, they will field the ball at whatever position they feel most comfortable playing. They will also get a chance to take some swings.”
Marines who are interested need only to bring a glove and cleats to the tryouts. All other gear will be provided. All positions are available, with 10 starting positions and a total of 15 roster spots. There are no requirements on fast or slow pitch experience. After tryouts, Marines will be selected for the All-Marine Camp.
“We can invite more than 15 women to All-Marine Camp and cuts will be made during the camp to get to the final 15 roster spots for the Armed Forces tournament,” said Sullivan.
Prior to attending tryouts, female Marines must get approval from their commands to be on temporary additional duty during both the camp and tournament. They must be either an active duty Marine or a reservist on active duty during these times as well. A sports application must be filled out and submitted to Headquarters Marine Corps no later than Aug. 6.
“All-Marine Camp is held at Cherry Point, N.C. and the Armed Forces Tournament, where we compete against the Army, Navy, and Air Force teams, is held at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.,” said Sullivan.
Tryouts will be held in the Harry Agganis Softball Field, located behind Goettge Memorial Field House at 11:00 a.m., Aug. 6. The All-Marine camp will run from Aug. 28 through Sept. 18.
Those selected for the team will play from Sept. 19 through Sept. 24, during the Armed Forces Softball Championship aboard NAS Pensacola, Fla.
After the Armed Forces Championship game, some Marines may be chosen to play on the All-Armed Forces team. Those selected will play from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5, at the National Softball Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. Two Marines were selected last year for the All-Armed Forces team.
“Just like in the Marine Corps, a good attitude, good work ethic, and being a team player are musts to making the team,” said Sullivan.
The All-Marine application can be downloaded from the All Marine Sports Web site at,
usmc-mccs.org/sports/appform.