GREEK SOFTBALL FEDERATION ANNOUNCES FIRST ATHLETES TO 2017 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

April 10, 2017

(Athens, Greece) – The Greek Softball Federation is pleased to announce the first seven athletes who have been selected to represent Greece at the European Softball Championship to be held in Bollate, Italy, from June 25 to July 1, 2017.

“I am excited with the first players chosen and anticipate a very strong showing from our team at this year’s European Championship” stated Head Coach Tony Foti. “We have a good mix of players with past international experience as well as some new players that will work very hard to represent Greece to the best of their abilities in any way they can. We have high expectations for 2017 and are excited to get this new Olympic cycle started”
The selected athletes are:
Nikki Gialketsis, C – Manhattan Beach, CA
Anyssa Iliopoulos, SS – Norridge, IL
Chelsea Lisikatos, UT – Cold Spring, NY
Samantha Lisikatos, UT – Cold Springs, NY
Dora Skarogianni, OF – Athens, Greece
Loren Stavrou, RHP – Long Beach, CA
Rania Zavitsanou, OF – Athens, Greece

A list of 40 athletes have been selected to an athlete pool, chosen by the coaching staff. Performance at high school, club, collegiate, national and international events is used as one of the major contributors to the selections. While some objective criteria is used to select the team, it is also recognized that there is a significant subjective element. These elements included such factors as performance, experience, positional requirements, leadership and team cohesion. To be eligible to be invited, the athletes had to be members in good standing of the Greek Softball Federation as well as being Greek citizens.
The coaching staff will consist of Tony Foti who will serve as the head coach with Shane Showalter, Shan McDonald, Angel Santiago, Candida Cerri and Babis Trigonakis, who will all serve as assistant coaches. Team manager will be Denise Horafa and the team will be led by Greek Federation president Kostis Liarommatis

First Name Last Name Hometown
Nikki Gialketsis Manhattan Beach, CA
Anyssa Iliopoulos Norridge, IL
Chelsea Lisikatos Cold Spring, NY
Samantha Lisikatos Cold Spring, NY
Dora Skarogianni Athens, Greece
Loren Stavrou Long Beach, CA
Rania Zavitsanou Athens, Greece

Coaching Staff
Position Name Hometown
Head Coach Tony Foti Winnipeg, Canada
Bench Coach Candida Cerri Bollate, Italy
Pitching Coach Shan McDonald Scarborough, Canada
Hitting Coach Angel Santiago Chicago Heights, Illinois USA
Defensive Coach Shane Showalter Pueblo, Colorado USA
Assistant Coach Babis Trigonakis Athens, Greece
Manager Denise Horafa Athens, Greece
Athletic Trainer
Team Leader Kostis Liarommatis Athens, Greece