MSU's Miller, Johns Named to 2010 USA Softball Coaching Staff
April 05, 2010 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State's softball program will be well represented this summer on the international stage. The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and USA Softball announced that head coach Jay Miller will return for his second year as the United States Women's National Team head coach, while Bulldog assistant coach Karen Johns will helm the U.S. Junior National Team.
Miller will guide the U.S. squad, which includes Bulldog senior Chelsea Bramlett, beginning June 16 with a pair of exhibition games in Ohio. The Red, White and Blue will then venture to Caracas, Venezuela to defend its ISF World Championship title.
After a trek to Canada, Miller will bring the United States back home to defend its World Cup of Softball championship July 22-26 in front of a national television audience in Oklahoma City. The final event will be the Japan Cup Aug. 3-9 in Sendai City, Japan.
"With the national team, I have a much better understanding of the talent we are working with and what we are able to do after coaching the team last summer. I'm looking forward to a great summer at the World Championship in Venezuela and the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City on ESPN," Miller said. "We'll have a couple of other tournaments that will allow us to mix in some younger players. It will be a busy summer, but we are looking forward to competing at the highest level."
Last summer, Miller skippered the United States to gold medals at the Canada Cup, World Cup of Softball and Japan Cup.
A veteran of the U.S. coaching ranks, Miller led the 2007 USA Junior National Team to the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in the Netherlands. The gold medal-winning effort capped a run that included a perfect 10-0 mark in the qualifiers the previous fall.
The NFCA Hall of Fame inductee earned his first international experience during the 1992-96 quadrennium, serving on the selection committee that would ultimately be in charge of selecting the squad that would go on to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He also served as head coach of the U.S. Red squad that won gold at the 2001 U.S. Cup, and the USA Elite team that won the 2003 Canada Cup after finishing runner-up a year earlier.
In 2004, he assisted the national squad to gold medals at the International Sports Invitational and the Intercontinental Cup. After assisting the 2005 U.S. edition to silver at the Canada Cup, Miller helped the Red, White and Blue to the 2006 World University Games championship in Taiwan.
As head coach of the United States Junior National Team, Johns will guide the team to the World Championship qualifier in Bogota, Columbia, and the ISF Junior Women's World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa in December, 2011.
"Karen's selection as head coach of the Junior Women's team is a tremendous honor for her and the Mississippi State program. She's very qualified after serving as an assistant coach on the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing and having worked with the national team program as both a player and a coach for a number of years. Having the opportunity to play under Karen's guidance will be a quality experience for the young players selected for that team."
Johns takes the reigns of the Junior Women's team after helping the U.S. to the Pan Am Qualifier championship last summer in Venezuela.
"I am very excited to be a part of the Junior Women's team," Johns said. "We have put together an amazing staff, and our goal is to bring home the gold medal."
She earned the head coach selection after assisting with the U.S. program since 2005. In 2008, Johns helped the United States to the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Prior to her Olympic experience, she assisted the U.S. teams that won two-straight World Cup of Softball gold medals (2006 and 2007) and the 2006 World Championship.
As a player, the former all-American at South Carolina helped the U.S. to gold medals at the 1990 and 1994 ISF World Championships. She also won gold medals at the U.S. Olympic Festival (1989 and 1990), 1994 South Pacific Classic and 1995 Pan Am Games.
Miller will guide the U.S. squad, which includes Bulldog senior Chelsea Bramlett, beginning June 16 with a pair of exhibition games in Ohio. The Red, White and Blue will then venture to Caracas, Venezuela to defend its ISF World Championship title.
After a trek to Canada, Miller will bring the United States back home to defend its World Cup of Softball championship July 22-26 in front of a national television audience in Oklahoma City. The final event will be the Japan Cup Aug. 3-9 in Sendai City, Japan.
"With the national team, I have a much better understanding of the talent we are working with and what we are able to do after coaching the team last summer. I'm looking forward to a great summer at the World Championship in Venezuela and the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City on ESPN," Miller said. "We'll have a couple of other tournaments that will allow us to mix in some younger players. It will be a busy summer, but we are looking forward to competing at the highest level."
Last summer, Miller skippered the United States to gold medals at the Canada Cup, World Cup of Softball and Japan Cup.
A veteran of the U.S. coaching ranks, Miller led the 2007 USA Junior National Team to the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in the Netherlands. The gold medal-winning effort capped a run that included a perfect 10-0 mark in the qualifiers the previous fall.
The NFCA Hall of Fame inductee earned his first international experience during the 1992-96 quadrennium, serving on the selection committee that would ultimately be in charge of selecting the squad that would go on to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He also served as head coach of the U.S. Red squad that won gold at the 2001 U.S. Cup, and the USA Elite team that won the 2003 Canada Cup after finishing runner-up a year earlier.
In 2004, he assisted the national squad to gold medals at the International Sports Invitational and the Intercontinental Cup. After assisting the 2005 U.S. edition to silver at the Canada Cup, Miller helped the Red, White and Blue to the 2006 World University Games championship in Taiwan.
As head coach of the United States Junior National Team, Johns will guide the team to the World Championship qualifier in Bogota, Columbia, and the ISF Junior Women's World Championship in Cape Town, South Africa in December, 2011.
"Karen's selection as head coach of the Junior Women's team is a tremendous honor for her and the Mississippi State program. She's very qualified after serving as an assistant coach on the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing and having worked with the national team program as both a player and a coach for a number of years. Having the opportunity to play under Karen's guidance will be a quality experience for the young players selected for that team."
Johns takes the reigns of the Junior Women's team after helping the U.S. to the Pan Am Qualifier championship last summer in Venezuela.
"I am very excited to be a part of the Junior Women's team," Johns said. "We have put together an amazing staff, and our goal is to bring home the gold medal."
She earned the head coach selection after assisting with the U.S. program since 2005. In 2008, Johns helped the United States to the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Prior to her Olympic experience, she assisted the U.S. teams that won two-straight World Cup of Softball gold medals (2006 and 2007) and the 2006 World Championship.
As a player, the former all-American at South Carolina helped the U.S. to gold medals at the 1990 and 1994 ISF World Championships. She also won gold medals at the U.S. Olympic Festival (1989 and 1990), 1994 South Pacific Classic and 1995 Pan Am Games.
Players Mentioned
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