The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball-Exes Jefferson & Rhodes sweep to Pan Am Championship gold
11.20.2022 | Softball
The Longhorns grads hit .500 (Jefferson) & .438 (Rhodes) overall in helping Team USA to a 9-0 record
AUSTIN, Texas – Late Saturday night in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Texas-Exes Janae Jefferson & Shannon Rhodes helped the USA Softball Women's National Team complete its dominant 9-0 run to the Pan American Championship gold medal with a 12-1 (4 inn.) title game win over Canada.
The former UT duo was part of a 16-player roster that battled teams from across the Americas in order to qualify the Red, White & Blue for a spot in the Stage 1 qualifying event for the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup.
Entering the medal round unbeaten at 6-0, Team USA had little trouble sweeping through its three playoff contests with victories over Canada (8-2), Cuba (13-2, 5 inn.) and then Canada again in the title game.
Jefferson started all three playoff games in the No. 8 slot in the line-up and hit at a .444 (4-for-9) clip during the round. The Humble, Texas, product completed the event with an impressive .500 batting average (13-of-26) at the plate with a walk, 13 runs scored, two doubles, a triple and five RBIs.
As one of the U.S. squad's big power threats, Rhodes finished the tournament tied for second on the squad with two HR's. Overall during the Pan American Championship, the Fort Worth, Texas, native batted .438 (7-for-16) overall with two walks, six runs, a double, two HR's and five RBIs.
Back during the summer of 2022, Jefferson helped lead Team USA to a world title by earning gold at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Ala. During the second inning of the gold medal tilt against defending Olympic champion and world No. 2-ranked Japan, she delivered the clutch two-out hit by lining a 3-1 pitch past short and to the wall in left center to unload the bases and grant the U.S. a 3-0 lead in an eventual 3-2 victory.
Rhodes had her own eventful 2022 summer run by earning Rookie of the Year honors in the Athletes Unlimited pro league. After taking a year off from softball, she picked up right where she left off from her standout career on the Forty Acres. Rhodes finished sixth overall in the AU league standings with 1,564 total points after hitting .375 overall (18-for-48) with four doubles, eight HR's and 14 RBIs to go with a .958 slugging percentage and a 1.422 OPS. Her HR and slugging marks were good for second in the 60-player league.
