Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Great Britain Softball
CMU softball player Langan Spends Time Competing with Great Britain National Team
7/22/2024 10:15:00 AM | Softball
For the second straight summer, Central Michigan softball pitcher Mackenzie Langan competed with the Great Britain National Team in The Royal Spark Challenge against the Oklahoma City Spark and exhibition games against the USA Women’s Elite Team. The four games took place at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, which recently hosted the NCAA Women’s College World Series in June.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – For the second straight summer, Central Michigan softball pitcher Mackenzie Langan competed with the Great Britain National Team in The Royal Spark Challenge against the Oklahoma City Spark and exhibition games against the USA Women's Elite Team.
The four games took place at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, which recently hosted the NCAA Women's College World Series in June.
The OKC Spark are a part of the Women's Professional Fastpitch league (WPF) and the USA Team comprises a large number of players that are expected to represent the United States in the Olympics in 2028.
The USA Team roster has some of the biggest names in softball, including Jocelyn Alo, Kinzie Hansen and Kelly Maxwell of Oklahoma, all of whom have won an NCAA national championship in the last four years. Many of the players who competed for the USA Team in the exhibition games are also on the roster for the OKC Spark in their season as well including Alo, Hansen and Tiare Jennings.
Langan started her journey to becoming a part of the Great Britain National Team in the fall of 2022, her freshman year at Central Michigan, when she saw the application on social media. A dual citizen, Langan was deemed eligible to participate on the national team.
"My dad was born and raised in Scotland, so I have had dual citizenship since I was young," she said. "There is a mix of girls on the team that were either born and raised, born and moved overseas at a young age, or are like me and get their nationality from their parent."
Langan was one of 33 players selected to try out for the team from among hundreds of applicants. The tryout was conducted at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
"The tryouts were six days long, in the intense heat," she said. "At the tryout I saw Paytn Monticelli and found out she was also trying out for the team. She and I grew up going to the same pitching coach and we were the only two players from Wisconsin. That has been a really cool experience to represent both our home state and our heritage at the national level."
Monticelli pitched for the University of Wisconsin in 2023 and then transferred to Oklahoma for the 2024 season, when she and her Sooner teammates captured the national title.
Following the tryouts, Langan was informed that she had made the roster and would represent Great Britian in the 2023 World Cup in Ireland. Langan has also been selected to play for the Great Britian National U22 Team in the 2024 European Championship in Kunto, Poland, Aug. 5-10.
Softball was not sponsored by the International Olympic Committee in the 2012 or 2016 Games, was re-instated for the 2020 Games, but will not be sponsored in the Paris Olympics in July. The sport will again be included in the Olympics in 2028, meaning that Langan has the chance to represent Great Britain on the world's biggest athletic stage.
"Our coaching staff has started to look at the four-year trajectory of our team," she said. "From this point forward, every win and loss during our international competition will be linked to our internation team ranking."
The international team ranking is important because only the top eight teams are selected to participate in the Olympics.
"This means I have the potential to represent Great Britian and compete in the Olympics," Langan said. "That is amazing."
"I am truly so thankful for this opportunity to represent my Scottish heritage by playing for Great Britian. It is such a surreal feeling to put on the jersey with 'Great Britain' written across my chest. When I step back and recognize that I am representing a region with thousands of years of deep history and culture, I am so honored. It has been amazing to meet and compete against some of the biggest names in our sport, and athletes I have been admiring for years."
One of Langan's Great Britain teammates is Georgina Corrick, one of the nation's best collegiate pitchers at USF from 2018-22. Corrick was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year, the Softball America Pitcher of the Year, and was a First Team All-American in her senior season. She is a recent inductee into the Great Britain Softball Hall of Fame.
"I have learned so much already in this experience, both from the coaching staff and from Georgina." Langan said. "I have been lucky to work alongside her and learn from her. Playing with her and other current high level softball players has taught me so much about the game. I am just overall so thankful for this experience."
Head Coach McCall Salmon highlights the great opportunity the experience is for Langan, in so many ways. "What an incredible experience for Kenzie to participate with the Great Britain National Team." says Salmon. "Talking about her with her experiences this summer, you can tell how much she has grown as a person and a player. These are memories that will last a lifetime, and our program is extremely proud of her. Kenzie has the opportunity to represent her heritage and our program on a national stage, and that is so exciting. We are Fired Up for Great Britain!"
For the latest news and updates on CMU Softball, follow the team on X (@cmusoftball) and Instagram (@cmichsoftball).
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The four games took place at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, which recently hosted the NCAA Women's College World Series in June.
The OKC Spark are a part of the Women's Professional Fastpitch league (WPF) and the USA Team comprises a large number of players that are expected to represent the United States in the Olympics in 2028.
The USA Team roster has some of the biggest names in softball, including Jocelyn Alo, Kinzie Hansen and Kelly Maxwell of Oklahoma, all of whom have won an NCAA national championship in the last four years. Many of the players who competed for the USA Team in the exhibition games are also on the roster for the OKC Spark in their season as well including Alo, Hansen and Tiare Jennings.
Langan started her journey to becoming a part of the Great Britain National Team in the fall of 2022, her freshman year at Central Michigan, when she saw the application on social media. A dual citizen, Langan was deemed eligible to participate on the national team.
"My dad was born and raised in Scotland, so I have had dual citizenship since I was young," she said. "There is a mix of girls on the team that were either born and raised, born and moved overseas at a young age, or are like me and get their nationality from their parent."
Langan was one of 33 players selected to try out for the team from among hundreds of applicants. The tryout was conducted at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
"The tryouts were six days long, in the intense heat," she said. "At the tryout I saw Paytn Monticelli and found out she was also trying out for the team. She and I grew up going to the same pitching coach and we were the only two players from Wisconsin. That has been a really cool experience to represent both our home state and our heritage at the national level."
Monticelli pitched for the University of Wisconsin in 2023 and then transferred to Oklahoma for the 2024 season, when she and her Sooner teammates captured the national title.
Following the tryouts, Langan was informed that she had made the roster and would represent Great Britian in the 2023 World Cup in Ireland. Langan has also been selected to play for the Great Britian National U22 Team in the 2024 European Championship in Kunto, Poland, Aug. 5-10.
Softball was not sponsored by the International Olympic Committee in the 2012 or 2016 Games, was re-instated for the 2020 Games, but will not be sponsored in the Paris Olympics in July. The sport will again be included in the Olympics in 2028, meaning that Langan has the chance to represent Great Britain on the world's biggest athletic stage.
"Our coaching staff has started to look at the four-year trajectory of our team," she said. "From this point forward, every win and loss during our international competition will be linked to our internation team ranking."
The international team ranking is important because only the top eight teams are selected to participate in the Olympics.
"This means I have the potential to represent Great Britian and compete in the Olympics," Langan said. "That is amazing."
"I am truly so thankful for this opportunity to represent my Scottish heritage by playing for Great Britian. It is such a surreal feeling to put on the jersey with 'Great Britain' written across my chest. When I step back and recognize that I am representing a region with thousands of years of deep history and culture, I am so honored. It has been amazing to meet and compete against some of the biggest names in our sport, and athletes I have been admiring for years."
One of Langan's Great Britain teammates is Georgina Corrick, one of the nation's best collegiate pitchers at USF from 2018-22. Corrick was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year, the Softball America Pitcher of the Year, and was a First Team All-American in her senior season. She is a recent inductee into the Great Britain Softball Hall of Fame.
"I have learned so much already in this experience, both from the coaching staff and from Georgina." Langan said. "I have been lucky to work alongside her and learn from her. Playing with her and other current high level softball players has taught me so much about the game. I am just overall so thankful for this experience."
Head Coach McCall Salmon highlights the great opportunity the experience is for Langan, in so many ways. "What an incredible experience for Kenzie to participate with the Great Britain National Team." says Salmon. "Talking about her with her experiences this summer, you can tell how much she has grown as a person and a player. These are memories that will last a lifetime, and our program is extremely proud of her. Kenzie has the opportunity to represent her heritage and our program on a national stage, and that is so exciting. We are Fired Up for Great Britain!"
For the latest news and updates on CMU Softball, follow the team on X (@cmusoftball) and Instagram (@cmichsoftball).
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