National tune-up

As head coach Amy Hayes was busy leading her Portland State softball squad to a 31-27 record, she was also undertaking a side project: assembling a team of Northwest all-stars to coach in a game against the U.S. Olympic team that will play in Beijing in August.

The teams will clash at historic Erv Lind Stadium at 7 p.m., July 8. The Portland Metro Softball Association is hosting the Olympic team as it barnstorms across the country in its Bound 4 Beijing pre-Olympics warm-up tour. The game is sold out, with more than 2,000 tickets sold.

Hayes, who has a 92-81 record at Portland State in her first three years, was selected by PMSA Commissioner Ron Boley to head the Portland All-Stars in February.

“Over the years we’ve done a lot of work with Teri Mariani and Portland State,” Boley said. “The first person I thought of was to ask Amy to put together a team to play the women’s national team and she was kind enough to accept.”

Mariani coached the all-star team against the national team in similar events prior to the past three Olympics.

Hayes selected 19 incoming, current and former collegiate athletes to compete against the Olympians, including former Vikings ace and slugger Mandy Hill, who graduated last month. Rules prevented Hayes from selecting current Vikings players.

Other players include Candace Baker, a former pitcher at Cal State Fullerton, and Mikayla Endicott, an incoming freshman pitcher at Oregon who previously pitched for Roseburg High School.

Two players are from the metro area: Ole Miss junior Lauren Grill, a Tualatin native, and Utah State junior Michelle Workman, a Tigard High School grad.

“We’ve got a good group of girls,” Hayes said. “A lot of them I’ve recruited but they chose to go somewhere else. They have all done really, really well for their respective programs. This is kind of my chance to coach them.”

It’s also a unique opportunity for the athletes. The Beijing Olympics will be the last time softball will be featured in Olympic competition since being added in 1996. The International Olympic Committee removed softball and baseball from the 2012 Olympics three years ago.

“It’s too bad, because I think softball has gotten so much exposure over the last eight years with events televised on ESPN. It’s a growing sport,” Boley said. “I know the Olympics when they had them four years ago were sold out.”

Boley added that Tuesday’s sold-out game is more evidence of the sport’s popularity.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I think there are a lot of people who won’t be able to watch them play because we don’t have the seats. We play at Erv Lind Stadium, which has a lot of history.”

Athletic director Torre Chisholm said he was excited for Hayes to have the opportunity to follow in Mariani’s footsteps.

“It’s so neat what the USA team does, traveling all across the country, playing these games. It’s really neat for Amy to have the chance, and it’s neat that they’re playing at Erv Lind,” he said. “I think it’ll be a great experience for her and great exposure for women’s softball in the Portland area.”

Hayes said the real benefit is the experience that the opportunity affords the student-athletes. There’s even been talk of beating the national team.

“They [the national team] usually go through and crush them,” Hayes said. “For these kids, it’s the experience. They are really excited to try to beat them. I’m really honored they thought of me. I’m honored these kids are excited to come play. It’s a very special opportunity.”