OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- The Amateur Softball Association of America announced today the five umpires selected to the inaugural Border Battle men’s Slow Pitch game on July 18 at ASA Hall of Fame Complex. The four U.S. umpires were selected by the National Umpire Staff while Softball Canada nominated one Canadian umpire that will represent Canada in the game.

“We have selected four of our premier slow pitch umpires from our four territories of ASA,” said ASA Supervisor of Umpires Kevin Ryan. “We also have the pleasure of inviting one of Softball Canada’s premier slow pitch umpires. This will provide these two very talented teams the best umpiring available from both countries.”

The following are the U.S. umpires:

Darryl Brunson, Harker Heights, Texas

Paul Drake III, Oregon, Ohio

Mike Maisner, Okemos, Michigan

John Personius, Marysville, Washington

“It’s an honor to be named to this staff,” said Drake, a slow pitch umpire of 26 years. “To be able to be a part of this event with the USA and Canadian teams is really special. I am looking forward to it and was thrilled when I heard the news.”

In addition, Canadian umpire Stephanie Soucy of Calgary, Alberta, Canada will represent Canada on the Border Battle umpire staff.

The inaugural ‘Border Battle’ is a men’s slow pitch exhibition game featuring Team USA against a Canadian Men’s Slow Pitch National team. Slated for July 18, 2009 during the World Cup of Softball presented by KFC at ASA’s Hall of Fame Complex, this special event will offer fans a rare occasion to see two of the primary disciplines of the sport represented at the highest level in front of thousands of fans and a national TV audience through ASA’s television partner, ESPN.

About ASA

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.

About USA Softball

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.