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    Greater LA

    USA’s Olympic softball team is packed with SoCal players

    Garden Grove resident and softball catcher Dejah Mulipola has been preparing for the games since she found out she made the Olympic team last October.

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    Person smiling broadly wearing glasses and plaid shirt against ivy-covered wall background.By Steve Chiotakis • May 24, 2021 • 8m Listen

    The Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23, but right now, Japan is facing a fourth wave of COVID-19. Residents there are concerned about more than 10,000 athletes descending on Tokyo, even if no international spectators are allowed.

    Garden Grove resident and softball catcher Dejah Mulipola has been preparing for the games since she found out she made the Olympic team last October.

    “There's no rest for me right now,” she says, still wrapping up this year’s season with the University of Arizona. “We're going to Super Regionals, and if we win we advance to the Women's College World Series. And as soon as I'm done, a couple days later, I'm heading straight off to play with Team USA.”

    She says many members of Team USA play in Japan during the off season because softball is so popular there. Canada, Mexico, Italy, and Australia have competitive teams, but Mulipola predicts Japan will be the toughest to beat.

    “They know what we have, and we know what they have. So it's always great competition.”

    The full episode

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    Anniversary of George Floyd’s murder: Southern Californians reflect on a year of change
    1. 0:00‘Generational curse or generational trauma’: Black SoCal residents on George Floyd anniversary
    2. 10:30USA’s Olympic softball team is packed with SoCal playersYou’re reading this
    3. 18:35More pride flags will fly in OC this month, signaling more liberalism in the county
    • Person smiling broadly wearing glasses and plaid shirt against ivy-covered wall background.

      Steve Chiotakis

      Afternoon News Anchor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jenna Kagel

      Radio producer

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Kathryn Barnes

      Producer, Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dejah Mulipola

      Catcher, USA national softball team

      CultureOlympicsSportsInternational

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Anniversary of George Floyd’s murder: Southern Californians reflect on a year of change
    1. 0:00‘Generational curse or generational trauma’: Black SoCal residents on George Floyd anniversary
    2. 10:30USA’s Olympic softball team is packed with SoCal playersYou’re reading this
    3. 18:35More pride flags will fly in OC this month, signaling more liberalism in the county
    Back to Greater LA