USA Softball Women's National Team member Valerie Arioto announces retirement following decade-long career

OKLAHOMA CITY –– Longtime member of the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT), Valerie Arioto (Placentia, Calif.) has announced her retirement following a remarkable career of representing the Red, White and Blue.
 
“This has been an unforgettable, rewarding, and humbling experience,” said Arioto. “I can truly say my career has been everything I could imagine and more.”
 
“There is no such thing as doing it on your own

in my opinion,” she added. “That is why I am eternally and immensely grateful for the sport of softball, USA Softball, my teammates, my family and my friends.”
 
Arioto has been a member of the WNT for the last decade, helping the U.S. to four World Cup Gold Medals, three Pan American Games Gold Medals, and two World Championship Gold Medals in addition to the long-awaited Olympic Medal victory in Tokyo where Arioto and Team USA earned silver.
 
The 10-year veteran carried a dominating presence at the plate for the U.S., including a .611 batting average at the 2016 WBSC World Championship where she sent seven balls out of the park with 18 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Additionally, Arioto’s impact extends beyond the playing field as an athlete representative on the USA Softball Board of Directors where she’s played a key role in the growth and development of the sport of softball.
 
“We can’t thank Valerie enough for all that she has given to the game during the last decade with USA Softball,” said USA Softball Chief of Sport Development/Performance Officer, Chris Sebren. “Her leadership on and off the field over the years has been instrumental in the success of the program. We are fortunate to have had her as a part of our Board of Directors and are thrilled of her continued involvement in that role for years to come.”
 
Click here to view Arioto’s full bio.
 
About USA Softball
USA Softball (USAS) is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USAS sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations.  USAS is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USAS annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USAS umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game. 

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USAS is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USAS, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.