GUATEMALA CITY, Calif. - Associate Cal State Fullerton Softball Head Coach and current Team Mexico Manager Jorge Araujo and sophomore pitcher Raci Miranda came in 6th place for Team Mexico at the 2022 WBSC Americas World Cup Qualifiers Tournament.
By coming in sixth place, the Mexico National team qualified for the 2023 Santiago Pan-American Games and the San Salvador Central American & Caribbean Games. The Mexican National team came extremely close to qualifying for the 5th and final automatic world cup spot after falling to Venezuela 5-4 in extras in the "5th place game." However, they are projected to have earned a wildcard berth to next year's world cup regardless that will take place in Italy.
Raci Miranda pitched in four games for Mexico and went 2-1 overall in the tournament. She had a 1.00 ERA in 14 innings of work. She struck out 17 batters, allowed 5 walks, and held opposing hitters to a .196 batting average. The sophomore pitched the opening game against the Dominican Republic and held them to one run. She also shut down El Salvador in a relief role.
"Raci had a really good showing all tournament," said Associate Head Coach Jorge Araujo . "She pitched really well against one of the top hitting sides in Team Canada who were only behind Team USA. I was impressed by the maturity shown by the 19-year old."
She pitched in four games including a very narrow 1-0 complete game loss against Team Canada.
Miranda was one of the top 10 pitchers in the tournament with an ERA of 1.00 or below behind former NCAA stalwarts Sara Groenewegen (Canada) and Rachel Garcia (USA).
"I was happy with how we played through the group stage. Our defense played well and our hitting was good. Overall I'm happy with how the national team looks leaving this tournament." said Mexico Manager Jorge Araujo.
The Mexican National team plans to hold another workout/tryout camp in January to reinforce every position. They will reconvene in June ahead of a busy summer that includes the Pan-American Games, Centro-American Games, and the World Cup.
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