OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The University of California San Diego softball team is set to play the 2020 USA Softball Women's National Team (WNT) on Mar. 8, 2020 in Irvine, Calif. The exhibition contest will be part of the "Stand Beside Her" tour as the WNT prepares for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The organization announced the news Monday afternoon.  
 
The Tritons will play the second game of an exhibition double header after Team USA faces California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) opponent Cal State San Marcos at 1 p.m. Approximately 35 minutes following, UC San Diego will have their chance at the Red, White and Blue.
 
Both games will be played at Bill Barber Park, Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine. Tickets can be purchased here. VIP tickets cost $75, seat-back chairs are $35 and standing room tickets are $20. 
 
"What an incredible opportunity to play against the USA Olympic team as they prepare for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo," said Head Coach Patti Gerckens. "We are honored to participate in this event and will compete with pride against these outstanding athletes."
 
The Southern California segment of the WNT's "Stand Beside Her" tour will launch Mar. 7 when Team USA hosts two youth clinics and will continue in Irvine, Calif. with meetings against San Marcos and UC San Diego. It will conclude in Santee, Calif. succeeding another exhibition double header versus Cal State Northridge and San Diego State University. 
 
"It is an honor, pleasure and true privilege to again host a USA Women's Olympic Softball Team in Southern California, where softball is played at every level all year," said USA Softball of Southern California Commissioner, Phil Gutierrez. 
 
"We look forward to witnessing the unequaled athleticism and sportsmanship of the greatest women softball players in the world as the team prepares to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan."
 
The "Stand Beside Her" tour will not only prep Team USA for Olympic competition but also provide fans a chance to witness the high caliber athletes in person. At the same time, the tour is an attempt to unite America and push communities to stand beside HER: WNT members, the nation, and future generations of female athletes. 

Softball returns to the Olympic Games this summer for the first time since the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. Competition will officially start July 22 with the Gold Medal Game taking place July 28.
 
The WNT will stop at additional locations before heading to Japan which will be announced at a later date. More information on the "Stand Beside Her" tour can be found here.  
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
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