Tele Jennings and Sina Talataina, two Arizona Wildcats softball players, have been selected to join the American Samoa national softball team. The team, coached by Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts, will compete in the Canada Cup in Surrey, British Columbia, from July 6-12.

Heritage-Based Selection

Jennings and Talataina were chosen based on their heritage, as they are allowed to compete for the territory despite not being born there. Several former Wildcats have also competed for other countries based on their heritage, including Mexico and the Philippines.

Jennings had a breakout season after transferring to Arizona, earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors as the team’s primary designated player. Talataina started the season as Arizona’s first baseman and appeared in 16 games with five starts at first base and four at designated player.

Original reporting: Arizona Desert Swarm (Tucson Sports) — read the source article.