The tryout for the USA Baseball National Women’s team last weekend at Brophy College Prep attracted only 14 players. While the quantity wasn’t what Team USA  assistant coach  Ed Kurakazu had hoped for,  the quality more than made up for it.

The players, who ranged in age from teens to past 50, could all play. Five — Christin Sobeck, Sarah Gascon, Tara Harbert, Kim Voisard, and Malaika Underwood — had  previous experience on the USA team. Another, former University of Arizona All-America Laura Espinoza, is a veteran of the USA Softball team and an Olympic Gold medalist.

Some new talent may have emerged. Clarissa Navarro turned some heads during a scrimmage Sunday monning. She blasted one to the warning track in left-center, about 350 feet from home plate. In her next at-bat, she hit one to the track in right abut 330 feet from the plate.

The tryout was the first of six that will be held around the country this summer.

When a tryout was held at Phoenix Municipal Stadium a few years ago, 60 players showed up.

“We didn’t really know how many to expect,’’ Kurakazu said.

One bonus was that each player had a chance to show what she could do.

“Normally in a tryout, you get to watch them hit again about four pitches and then you have to move on,’’ Kurakazu said. “This one, you really got a good look at everyone.”

Women’s baseball players often come from fastpitch softball. There’s an adjustment.

“They’re two completely different games,’’ said assistant coach, Sarah Wendte, who is the softball coach at Central Arizona College and who played baseball in a women’s pro league in the 1990s, leading the league in hitting with a .419 average.

A softball player has to adjust to the greater distances in baseball. But softball players have to less time to react at the plate or in the field.

“Softball is a much a quicker sport,’’ Wente said.

USA Baseball began sponsoring a women's team in 2004. Exoereinced players and the coaches said the talent level gets better each year.