The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball signees Maloney & Scott named to U.S. U-18 Junior National Team
06.25.2021 | Softball
The duo will compete at both the 2021 U-18 WBSC World Cup and Pan Am Softball Championship
AUSTIN, Texas – A pair of 2021 Texas softball signees will be pulling on the Red, White & Blue this year as outfielder Ashton Maloney (Liberty, Mo.) and infielder Mia Scott (Angleton, Texas) have each been tabbed to the roster for the USA Softball Under-18 Junior Women's National Team.
Selected by members of the Junior Women's National Team Selection Committee (JWNTSC), following a two-day selection trial process in Oklahoma City, Okla., the 16-player roster and two replacement players will compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 World Cup in Lima, Peru, from Aug. 28 – Sept. 5 and the Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, over Nov. 25 – Dec. 5.
Maloney and Scott were part of Texas' No. 7-ranked 2021 signing class that was announced back in November with each player tying for the No. 7 spot nationally in Extra Inning Softball's Extra Elite 100 player rankings.
A multiple-time Missouri Class 4A All-State, first-team all-conference, all-district and all-region selection, Maloney was also rated No. 64 in Softball America's Top 100 players listing. Through her junior season at Liberty H.S., she owned a .536 overall average with 224 hits, 182 runs scored, 12 doubles, 18 triples, 13 HR's and 66 steals while posting a 1.280 OPS.
Scott was also ranked No. 21 in FloSoftball's Hot 100 and No. 57 in Softball America's Top 100 players listing. A 2019 TGCA All-State and TXSWA Honorable Mention All-State selection, Scott batted .574 with 46 runs scored, four HR's, 35 RBIs and a .621 on-base percentage while helping power Angleton to the 2019 Texas Girls Class 5A State title with an 8-1 win over Corpus Christi Calallen. A member of the 5A State Championship All-Tournament Team, she also earned All-Southern Brazoria County Offensive Player of the Year and District 24-5A First Team accolades.
Led by Head Coach Kyla Holas as well as Assistant Coaches Suzy Brazy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Lisa Navas (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), the Red, White and Blue will look to claim a fourth-consecutive WBSC Junior Women's World Championship title, having won the previous three World Championships in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Additionally, the 2021 U-18 JWNT roster will compete for the gold medal at the Junior Pan American Games.