Teams, cities and stadiums
National Pro Fastpitch teams
| 2007 NPF Season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Pro Fastpitch |
| Sport | softball |
| Duration | May 29, 2007 – August 18, 2007 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| 2007 NPF Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Lindsay Schutzler Tennessee |
| Picked by | Chicago Bandits |
| Regular Season | |
| Majestic Cup (Best record) | Washington Glory |
| Cowles Cup | |
| Champions | Washington Glory |
| Runners-up | Rockford Thunder |
| Finals MVP | Monica Abbott Washington Glory |
The 2007 National Pro Fastpitch season was the fourth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
A number of changes to the NPF roster of teams happened in the offseason:
The Texas Thunder were sold to new ownership based in Rockford, Illinois. They relocated there for the 2007 season and renamed themselves the Rockford Thunder. [6]
In January 2007, the Connecticut Brakettes announced they would no longer participate in NPF. [7]
In February, an expansion team named the Washington Glory was added to NPF, and the Glory inherited the contracts of players from the Brakettes. [8]
Arizona Heat suspended play for the 2007 season. [9] Despite rumors to the contrary, the Heat never rejoined NPF.
NPF hired Cheri Kempf to be commissioner. Kempf's background includes pitching on the 1992 gold medal-winning United States national team in the World Cup in Beijing, China, producing instructional books and videos on softball, and announcing professional and college softball telecasts. [10]
In March, the Akron Racers hired Shonda Stanton, the head softball coach at Marshall University to be field manager. [11]
The 2007 NPF Senior Draft was held February 14, 2007. Lindsay Schutzler of Tennessee was selected first by the Chicago Bandits. [12]
Cat Osterman was drafted first in the 2006 NPF Draft by the Connecticut Brakettes. She did not sign with them, becoming a free agent on September 30, 2006. In December 2006, she signed a deal to join the Rockford Thunder. [13]
Source [14]
| Team | GP | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Glory | 44 | 34 | 10 | .773 | - |
| Akron Racers | 43 | 26 | 17 | .605 | 7.5 |
| New England Riptide | 44 | 26 | 18 | .591 | 8 |
| Rockford Thunder | 44 | 24 | 20 | .545 | 10 |
| Philadelphia Force | 44 | 24 | 20 | .545 | 10 |
| Chicago Bandits | 44 | 23 | 21 | .523 | 11 |
The Michigan Ice played a partial schedule in 2007, with hopes of receiving investor support in 2008 to become a full-time NPF member. The Ice never became a full-time member. League games against Team China, Denso Japan professional softball team, the Venezuela national team and the Stratford Brakettes were also scheduled. The results counted in the NPF's team records. [15]
The 2007 NPF Championship Series was held at Sunset Point Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin August 24-6. The top four teams qualified and were seeded based on the final standings. The series matched the teams up in a double-elimination bracket. [16]
| August 25, 2007 [17] | August 25, 2007 | August 26, 2007 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Washington Glory | 4 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Rockford Thunder | 0 | |||||||||||
| W1 | New England Riptide | 1 | |||||||||||
| W2 | Washington Glory | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Akron Racers | 0 | |||||||||||
| 3 | New England Riptide | 3 | |||||||||||
| W4 | Washington Glory | ||||||||||||
| W5 | Rockford Thunder | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Rockford Thunder | 5 | |||||||||||
| L1 | Akron Racers | 3 | L4 | New England Riptide | 0 | ||||||||
| L2 | Rockford Thunder | 6 | |||||||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 1 #2 seed vs. #3 seed | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 1 | August 25 | Akron Racers 0, New England Riptide 3 [18] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Riptide advance; Racers to losers bracket | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 2 #1 seed vs. #4 seed | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 2 | August 25 | Washington Glory 4, Rockford Thunder 0 [19] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Glory advance; Thunder to losers bracket | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 3 Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 3 | August 25 | Akron Racers 3, Rockford Thunder 6 (10 innings) [20] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Rockford Thunder eliminate Akron Racers | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 4 Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 4 | August 25 | Washington Glory 2, New England Riptide 1 [21] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Glory to final; Riptide to losers bracket | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 5 Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 5 | August 26 | Rockford Thunder 5, New England Riptide 0 [22] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Thunder to final; Riptide eliminated | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 6 Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 6 | August 24 | Washington Glory 3, Rockford Thunder 1 [23] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Washington Glory win NPF Championship | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Stats. |
| Monica Abbott | Washington Glory | 2-0 0.00 ERA NH SV [24] |
Source: [25]
| Majestic Cup (Best regular season record) |
|---|
| Washington Glory |
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year Award | Amber Jackson | Washington Glory |
| Pitcher of the Year | Desiree Serrano | Washington Glory |
| Rookie of the Year | Kristina Thorson | Philadelphia Force |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Jackie Pasquerella | New England Riptide |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Veronica Wootson | Akron Racers |
| Manager of the Year | Carie Dever-Boaz | Washington Glory |
| 2007 All-NPF Team [26] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Team | |
| Pitcher | Kristina Thorson | Philadelphia Force | |
| Pitcher | Desiree Serrano | Washington Glory | |
| Pitcher | Sarah Pauly | Washington Glory | |
| Pitcher | Eileen Canney | New England Riptide | |
| Catcher | Mackenzie Vandergeest | Rockford Thunder | |
| 1st Base | Kellie Wilkerson | Philadelphia Force | |
| 2nd Base | Veronica Wootson | Akron Racers | |
| 3rd Base | Norrelle Dickson | Akron Racers | |
| Shortstop | Amber Jackson | Washington Glory | |
| Outfield | Kristen Zaleski | Rockford Thunder | |
| Outfield | Sharonda McDonald | Philadelphia Force | |
| Outfield | Shanel Scott | New England Riptide | |
| At-Large | Oli Keohohou | Washington Glory | |
| At-Large | Nicole Thompson | Washington Glory | |
| At-Large | Chelsea Spencer | Philadelphia Force | |
| At-Large | Jamie Clark | Chicago Bandits | |
| At-Large | Kristen Butler | Akron Racers | |
| At-Large | Serena Settlemier | Rockford Thunder | |
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup.
Christa Lee Williams-Yates is an American, former collegiate three-time All-American, two-time Gold Medal winning Olympian, retired three-time pro All-Star, right-handed hitting softball pitcher originally from Houston, Texas. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she received a gold medal with the American team. Four years later at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she won her second gold medal. Williams-Yates began her college career with the UCLA Bruins in 1997 before transferring to play softball with the Texas Longhorns (1998-99). Joining in its inaugural year, she played three years in the National Pro Fastpitch with the Texas Thunder (2004-06) and still ranks top-10 in career wins, strikeouts, ERA among other records. In 2018, Williams-Yates was named to the USA National Softball Hall of Fame. Currently, Williams-Yates teaches high school softball in Friendswood, Texas.
Sarah Jo Pauly is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired 7-time professional All-Star, right-handed softball pitcher and coach originally from Phoenix, Arizona. She played college softball at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi from 2002-2005 and owns virtually all the pitching records. She is the Big South Conference career strikeouts, ERA, shutouts, WHIP, strikeout ratio, no-hitters (9) and perfect games (2) leader in just three seasons. She joined the National Pro Fastpitch in 2006 and as a rookie earned Pitcher of The Year and currently holds NPF records for the most innings pitched, games played and games started through her 11 seasons as arguably the most successful undrafted player in league history. She is one of five NCAA Division I pitchers to win 100 games, strikeout 1,000 batters, maintain a sub-1.00 ERA and average double digit strikeouts for her entire career.
The Carolina Diamonds, formerly known as the NPF Diamonds, Tennessee Diamonds, Rockford Thunder and Texas Thunder, was a women's softball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since the 2004 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). They were known as the Texas Thunder from 2004 to 2006, the Rockford Thunder from 2007 to 2009, and the Tennessee Diamonds in 2010. They relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2012.
The 2013 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 10th season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2012 National Pro Fastpitch season was the ninth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). The 2012 season is especially notable because due to weather and scheduling issues, the NPF Championship Series was not completed and no Cowles Cup champion was named.
The 2010 National Pro Fastpitch season was the seventh season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2009 National Pro Fastpitch season was the sixth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2008 National Pro Fastpitch season was the fifth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2006 National Pro Fastpitch season was the third season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2005 National Pro Fastpitch season was the second season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2004 National Pro Fastpitch season was the first season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2003 National Pro Fastpitch season was the final year before the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) relaunched with league play in 2004. In November 2002, WPSL announced that it was taking a new name, National Pro Fastpitch, and that it would spend 2003 as a year of touring before resuming competitive play. From 1997 to 2002, the league operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL).
The San Antonio Armadillos were a women's professional softball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They were part of the founding roster of National Pro Fastpitch teams in 2004.
The Colorado Altitude were a women's professional softball team based in Littleton, Colorado. They were part of the founding roster of National Pro Fastpitch teams in 2004.
The 2006 NPF Senior Draft is the third annual NPF Draft. It was held February 15, 2006 to assign elite college players to pro teams for 2006 season. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended. The first selection was Texas's Cat Osterman, picked by the Connecticut Brakettes. Osterman chose not to sign with the Brakettes. The Brakettes' rights to her expired after the 2006, after which she signed with the Rockford Thunder.
The 2017 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 14th season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The 2019 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 16th season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
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