OKLAHOMA CITY — Gold Pass and general admission single-session tickets are now available for the World Cup of Softball XI and Border Battle VIII, which will be held July 4-10 in Oklahoma City, Okla. at ASA Hall of Fame Complex – OGE Energy Field – INTEGRIS Field. Highlighted by the top 10 teams in the world, tickets are on sale by phone at 800-654-8337 or online at ASAUSASoftball.com.

Click here to see the World Cup of Softball XI game schedule

Tickets are available for Gold Pass reserved seating for $20 and general admission seating is $10 a ticket.  Tickets for the event are for an entire day with fans having the opportunity to watch all games played on their selected dates.  The complete game schedule can be found at ASAUSASoftball.com.

With a record-12 countries slated to participate, the World Cup of Softball XI features No. 1 Japan, No. 2 USA, No. 3 Australia, No. 4 Canada, No. 6 China, No. 7 Netherlands, No. 8 New Zealand and No. 10 Czech Republic.  Also slated to compete are No. 11 Puerto Rico, No. 14 Mexico, No. 19 Venezuela, No. 23 Philippines and the USA Softball Women’s Elite Team. Rankings are calculated by the WBSC world ranking system, which tracks the performance of each country’s National Team over a three-year period.

All-session tickets, which are $175 for Gold Pass reserved seating and $60 for general admission seating, are also available online and can be purchased by phone at 800-654-8337 or online atASAUSASoftball.com.  Gold Pass all-session tickets include a USA Softball hat, World Cup XI program, a personalized name slide on the videoboard at OGE Energy Field, exclusive parking and advanced autograph sessions.  Fans that hold the Gold Pass All-Session ticket will have open seating in the Gold Pass section (click here to view seating chart).  Single session Gold Pass and general admission tickets will go on sale in early June.

In addition, the eighth-annual Men’s Border Battle Slow Pitch game will return to Oklahoma City for the first time since 2013 when the USA Men’s Slow Pitch National Team takes the field against Canada in Border Battle VIII on July 6. 

For updates on the USA Softball National Teams and the 2016 season visit ASAUSASoftball.com.

— Courtesy of ASA/USA Softball

Wonder Woman 3, which will arrive at some point in the future following 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, is “definitely a contemporary story.”

Speaking to THR, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has said that she has an idea where Wonder Woman 3 could go and, unlike the first two films, she wants it to be set more in the present time as opposed to being a period piece.

“It’s definitely one of the things we talked about,” said Jenkins. “I’m not planning to put it in the past again, because where are you going to go? You have to go forward. It’s definitely a contemporary story. That’s all I can say. Where we put it and how that gets figured out, I haven’t totally nailed down.”

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League both take place in contemporary times, and future Wonder Woman films, if Jenkins has her way, will follow suit.

While Jenkins has a well thought out plan for Diana Prince’s future, she hasn’t been confirmed to be directing the third film.

“I have pretty clear plans for Wonder Woman 3,” Jenkins said to Vanity Fair. “Whether I [direct] it or not, I see how her arc should end in my incarnation of Wonder Woman. I have great passion for that.”

Wonder Woman 1984 is set to be released in theaters on June 5, 2020, and will be directed by Jenkins and scored by Hans Zimmer, who scored her theme for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

DC’s latest film, Aquaman, recently crossed the $1 billion dollar mark at the worldwide box office and, due to its success, has caused Warner Bros. to be “less focused” on the DC Shared Universe.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can’t wait to travel back to 1984 in 2020. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst.

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals say the rate at which new judges are appointed to the bench will ramp up later this month when cabinet returns to the national capital.

So far this year, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has appointed or promoted 65 judges, including 19 just last week, after appointing or promoting 100 last year.

Her office says 212 judges have been appointed or promoted overall since the Liberals took office.

57 judicial vacancies

A spokesperson for Wilson-Raybould says the frequency of appointments will increase with the return of regular cabinet meetings when the House of Commons returns from its summer break on Sept. 17.

The government faces constant pressure to fill empty seats on federal benches over complaints that cases are being thrown out because of lengthy trial delays.

The office of the commissioner for federal judicial affairs says there are 57 judicial vacancies, a rising figure the Liberals say is partly a result of government spending to create more judicial positions.

Earlier:

SALEM, Va. — The University of Texas at Tyler swept two games from Messiah College in the best-of-three championship series on Monday at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex to capture its first NCAA Division III national softball championship.

The (49-5) Patriots won the first game, 3-0, and the second, 7-0, while outscoring their opponents 30-1 over six Salem games to avenge a loss to three-time titlist Tufts University in last year’s championship.

Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III Player of the Year top three finalist and four-time NFCA All-American Kelsie Batten was named tournament Most Outstanding Player after winning four games at the event. She recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in the first championship series game earlier in the day and then struck out four more in 2.2 innings in relief of Alaina Kissinger in the decisive second game.

Texas-Tyler took control with a five-run third and never looked back. Raven Rodriguez doubled in the Patriots’ first run and Vanessa Carrizales drove home three more with a double of her own. Lexi Ackroyd singled up the middle to plate the final run of the frame.

Kaylee Prather (three hits) led off the seventh with a triple and promptly scored on Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly. Carrizales hit a two-out solo homer to cap the scoring.

Erin Cressman and Shannon Denny had the only two hits in the game for Messiah (47-6), which set a school record for wins in a season, four more than its national championship run in 2009.

In the first game, Texas-Tyler broke a scoreless tie with all three of its runs in the top of the seventh. Carrizales drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice, while KK Stevens and Bianca Van Vlerah (3-for-3) each singled home a run apiece. Cheyenne Thompson singled and tripled in the contest.

Becky Notte had two of the Falcons’ four hits in the loss.

Messiah (47-6) headed into this year’s championship series as the only unbeaten team at this year’s NCAA Finals, winning its first three games by an average of seven runs and outscoring its trio of opponents, 21-8, including defeating Rowan, 9-1, in six innings on Saturday.

NCAA DIII Softball Championship All-Tournament Team

Most Outstanding Player — Kelsie Batten, Sr., University of Texas at Tyler

Lexi Ackroyd, Jr., University of Texas at Tyler

Erin Cressman, Fr., Messiah College

Ashley DeYoung, Sr., Rowan University

Kristin Lopez, Sr., University of Texas at Tyler

Lexi Marshall, Sr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Brooke Pompeo, Sr., Messiah College

Ashley Powers, So., Emory University

Raven Rodriguez, Sr., University of Texas at Tyler

Shilah Snead, Sr., Rowan University

Lindsey Thayer, So., St. John Fisher College

Bianca Van Vlerah, Jr., University of Texas at Tyler

Madelyn Yannetti, Fr., Messiah

OTTAWA — The pressure on the Liberals to loosen protections around Canada’s dairy sector took new focus on Sunday as the key stumbling block in North American Free Trade Agreement talks came under scrutiny and spin on political talk shows on both sides of the border.

A member of an influential Congressional panel — and a Donald Trump supporter — said in a Canadian interview that providing American dairy farmers with more access to the Canadian market may appease the president.

To the south, Trump’s agriculture secretary suggested deeper concessions would be coming from the Canadians over Canada’s system of managing supply and prices in the dairy sector.

Republican Tom Reed, a member of the House ways and means committee, said Trump doesn’t necessarily want the Liberals to get rid of the system, but simply to remove what the Americans see as trade barriers.

“Many have seen this market over the last few decades, from an American point of view, as just being off the table,” Reed said in an interview with Global’s “The West Block” that aired Sunday morning.

“We’re just interested in breaking those barriers and having a solid relationship with our partners to the north.”

The politically thorny issue remains an obstacle in NAFTA negotiations as discussions drag on without an agreement after 13 months of talks, started at Trump’s behest.

How negotiations play out will determine the fate of numerous jobs and hundreds of billions in trade between the two nations.

Dairy is a hurdle, Trump adviser claims

Canada and the U.S. are trying to finalize a text that could be submitted to Congress by the end of the month to join the deal the Trump administration signed with Mexico.

Also unresolved are protections to Canada’s cultural sector and the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism.

Dairy has been singled out as a key hurdle, including on Friday when Larry Kudlow, a senior economic adviser to Trump, said in a Fox Business Network interview that what “continues to block the deal is m-i-l-k.”

When asked about Kudlow’s comments, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said bluntly: “He’s not at the negotiating table.”

“We’re looking for a deal which is good for Canadians, which is good for Canadian workers, which is good for Canadian families (and) good for Canadian farmers,” Freeland said on “The West Block.”

Canada expanded foreign access to its dairy sector in trade deals with the European Union and with 10 Pacific Rim countries. The Pacific trade pact provided those countries with access to 3.25 per cent of Canada’s market, and expectations are the U.S. won’t go any lower.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he expected Canada to also scrap a two-year-old pricing agreement that has restricted U.S. exports of ultra-filtered milk used to make dairy products.

“Our farmers don’t have access to the Canadian markets the way that they have access to us,” Perdue said in an interview that aired Sunday on C-SPAN.

“If they want to manage the supply, we are simply saying manage your supply for your dairy industry and let’s be done with it.”

Trump threatens to leave Canada behind

Canada’s dairy farmers believe they’ve already given enough to foreign producers in previous trade deals and aren’t interested in ceding any more ground.

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest said on CTV’s “Question Period” any decisions the Liberals make now will have ramifications in the 2019 federal election, particularly in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec.

“For this government to go out and be seen as giving too much to the American side on agriculture, and dairy in particular, would be … almost suicidal politically,” Charest said.

Trump is threatening to move ahead on a deal without Canada.

He is also looking for a political win ahead of November’s midterm elections where members of Congress in border states, like Reed, are looking to retain their seats and calm the nerves of businesses whose biggest export customer is Canada.

The hope is for a trilateral agreement in principle that Congress can approve before Mexico’s new president takes office on Dec. 1.

Lucasfilm has announced the actors and artists who will be attending the Star Wars Celebration Chicago, along with revealing the exclusive poster for the event.

The poster art shows both light and dark sides encompassed within the symbol of the Jedi Order. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are prominently shown on their opposing sides.

Exclusive poster for the Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019

Original characters such as Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia Organa, and Han Solo can be seen on the light side next to the newer films’ heroes, Rey and Finn.

On the dark side, Darth Sidious, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, and Boba Fett can be seen, among the new comers including Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma. Queen Amidala (Padme) is shown in the middle of the two sides, most likely showing the struggle she experienced and connection to both light and dark sides with Luke and Anakin (Vader).

Joonas Suotamo, the 6-foot-11 Finnish actor who has played Chewbacca in the newer Star Wars installments, will be in Chicago this year signing autographs for the event.

Sam Witwer, who plays Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and in Solo: A Star Wars Story, will also be at the Star Wars celebration this year.

Other actors include Greg Grunberg, who played the Resistance X-wing pilot Snap Wexley in The Force Awakens; puppeteer Dave Chapman, who helped bring BB-8, Rio Durant, and Lady Proxima to the screen; Greg Proops, who has voiced Jak Sivrak and Garma in Star Wars Resistance as well as Fode in The Phantom Menace; Paul Kasey, who portrayed Admiral Raddus in Rogue One and Ello Asty in The Force Awakens; Ian McElhinney, who played General Dodonna in Rogue One; and Orli Shoshan, who is known for playing the Jedi Master, Shaak Ti, in Attack of the clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Some of the artists who will be in attendance include Darren Tan, Jason Christman, Zoltan Simon, Dianne Harrop, Kayla Woodside, Adrianna Vanderstelt, and Danny Haas.

The Star Wars Celebration Chicago will take place April 11-15, 2019 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Stay tuned to IGN for more details and coverage of the event.

For more Star Wars news, read about how Carrie Fisher’s brother is “thrilled” with the footage of Leia for Episode IX and how director Rian Johnson said that Luke’s portrayal in The Last Jedi is “100% consistent” with the original trilogy.

Jessie Wade is a news writer for IGN and thinks of herself as a wannabe-Grey Jedi. Chat with her on Twitter @jessieannwade about anything Star Wars. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma won its 30th straight games as it topped LSU, 7-3 in the second semifinal of the 2016 Women’s College World Series on Sunday evening and earned a spot in the Championship Series.

Box Score | Quotes (OU / LSU)

The Sooners (55-7) return to the series for the first time since 2013 when they won the title and will be looking for their third overall. OU will take on Auburn in game one, tomorrow June 6 at 7:00 CT.

A half inning after LSU tied the contest in the bottom of the third on a Sahvanna Jaquish three-run home run, the Sooners reclaimed the lead for good with three runs of their own. With one out, Erin Miller knocked one back up the middle for a two-run single, which proved to be the game-winning hit. She would later score the third run of the frame on a wild pitch for a 6-3 OU lead.

A solo blast to left by Shay Knighten in the sixth made the final margin 7-3.

Paige Parker (36-3) scattered eight hits in the complete-game effort for the Sooners. She worked in and out of some trouble most of the night, and outside of Jaquish’s long ball, Parker battled and survived a few sticky situations. The southpaw struck out four and walked two

Kady Self put the Sooners up 1-0 in the second with a RBI single. An inning later, an error and a Knighten run-scoring single pushed the lead to 3-0. She finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The advantage did not last long as Sahvanna Jaquish evened the contest as she lined a three-run homer into the left centerfield seats.

LSU’s Sandra Simmons led all hitters on the evening, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Miller was 2-for-5 with a two RBI and Kelsey Arnold finished 2-for-2 with a run.

— Image courtesy of Ty Russell

RIO DE JANEIRO — Back in the game! The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously during Wednesday’s 129th IOC Session to include baseball/softball in the sports package for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The decision adds five sports — baseball/softball (counting as one sport for the purpose of the vote, since it was a combined bid by the two sport organizations), surfing, karate, skateboarding and sport climbing — only for the 2020 Tokyo Games. A vote to support their inclusion in future Olympics would need to come at a later date, as the host city’s sport selections are not binding on future Games hosts.

The host for the 2024 Summer Olympics will be announced at the September 2017 IOC conference in Lima, Peru. The four finalists for 2024 are Los Angeles, Rome, Paris and Budapest.

“What a truly great day for the sports of softball and baseball,” said ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Craig Cress. “For softball and baseball to be added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games program is a dream come true for many athletes across the world. USA Softball is proud to be the National Governing Body for the sport of softball and will continue to work diligently every day to promote our great sport of softball on the world stage.”

“Thank you to the IOC and the WBSC for this tremendous honor for not only our sport, but our athletes and the millions of young girls who dream of one day being an Olympian,” USA Softball Women’s National Team athlete Janie Takeda said following the announcement. “This means so much to not only our USA Softball Women’s National Team program, but to millions of girls across the world. Even if I’m not there, knowing that softball athletes will get to compete on the highest stage against the best competition in the world is amazing.”

The Organizing Committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics proposed the new sports in 2015 in response to the new flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, to encourage innovation in the Olympic program. Olympic Agenda 2020 gives host cities the option of suggesting new sports and events for inclusion in their edition of the Games.

The package of new sports represents a combination of well-established and emerging sports with significant popularity in Japan and beyond. They include team sports and individual sports; indoor sports and outdoor sports; and ‘urban’ sports with a strong appeal to youth. The sport additions constitute “the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic program in modern history,” the IOC has previously stated. The package promotes gender equality, with each of the five sports having equal numbers of teams for men and women, while also focusing on innovative and exciting sports for Japan and the wider international community.

These sports will add 18 events and 474 athletes to the Tokyo 2020 program, and will not take places away from athletes in existing Olympic sports. Tokyo will now total 33 sports and nearly 11,000 athletes.

In four Olympic Games appearances, the USA Softball Women’s National Team claimed three gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004) and one runner-up finish to Japan in 2008, while setting numerous international records and are one of only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals.

The Tokyo Games will be held July 24-Aug. 9, 2020.

— Some information from IOC and ASA/USA Softball