2011 National Pro Fastpitch season

Last updated
2011 NPF Season
League National Pro Fastpitch
Sport softball
DurationJune 9, 2011 – August 14, 2011
Number of teams4
TV partner(s) ESPN
2011 NPF Draft
Top draft pick Kelsi Dunne P
Alabama
Picked by NPF Diamonds
Regular Season
Ringor Cup
(Best record)
USSSA Pride
Cowles Cup
Champions Chicago Bandits
  Runners-up USSSA Pride
Finals MVP Monica Abbott
Chicago Bandits
NPF seasons
  2010
2012  

The 2011 National Pro Fastpitch season was the eighth 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.

Contents

Teams, cities and stadiums

TeamCityStadium
Akron Racers Akron, Ohio Firestone Stadium
Chicago Bandits Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago Area) Ballpark at Rosemont
NPF Diamonds Nashville, Tennessee Various
USSSA Florida Pride Kissimmee, Florida Osceola County Stadium and Champion Stadium
Usa edcp location map.svg
National Pro Fastpitch teams

Milestones and events

The Tennessee Diamonds were rebranded as the NPF Diamonds for the 2011 season. The Diamonds were a "traveling team," playing each of their five 'home stands' at five different venues, from Calgary, Alberta to Lexington, North Carolina. [1]

Akron Racers named as their coach Jake Schumann, who was also with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball coach. [2]

NPF Diamonds signed Tim Kiernan as head coach. Kiernan had previously coached professional softball with WPSL's Virginia Roadsters in 1999, NPF Tour Teams in 2001 and 2003, and the Sacramento Sunbirds in 2004. [3]

The Chicago Bandits moved into their new stadium Ballpark at Rosemont. It is the first ballpark specifically built for a women's professional softball team, and its address, 27 Jennie Finch Way, pays tribute to one of their most famous players. [4]

Player acquisition

College draft

The 2011 NPF Senior Draft was held March 16, 2011, in Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The NPF Draft was broadcast on MLB.com. [5] NPF Diamonds selected pitcher Kelsi Dunne of Alabama as the first overall pick. [6]

Notable transactions

League standings

Source [7]

TeamGPWLPct.GB
USSSA Pride 39309.769-
Akron Racers 392217.5648
Chicago Bandits 402020.50010.5
NPF Diamonds 38632.15823.5

NPF Championship

2011 NPF Championship.jpg

The 2011 NPF Championship Series was held at McMurry Park in Sulphur, Louisiana August 18–21. All four teams qualify and were seeded based on the final standings. The first seed played the fourth seed on a best-of-three series, and the second seed played the third seed in another best-of-three series. The winners played each other in a best-of-three series that determined the champion.

The games were broadcast on ESPN2, with color analysis by former NPF player and two-time Olympian Jennie Finch and three-time Olympian Leah O'Brien-Amico. Bernie Guenther called the play-by-play. [8]

NPF Semifinals (Best-of-3)NPF Championship (Best-of-3)
      
1 USSSA Pride 2
4 NPF Diamonds 0
1 USSSA Pride 0
3 Chicago Bandits 2
2 Akron Racers 0
3 Chicago Bandits 2
2011 NPF Semifinals
Chicago Bandits defeat Akron Racers 2-0
GameDateScoreSeries
(CHI-AKR)
Location
1August 18 Chicago Bandits 8, Akron Racers 1 [9] 1-0 Sulphur, Louisiana
2August 19 Chicago Bandits 7, Akron Racers 4 [10] 2-0 Sulphur, Louisiana
2011 NPF Semifinals
USSSA Pride defeat NPF Diamonds 2–0
GameDateScoreSeries
(USSA-NPF)
Location
1August 18 and 19 USSSA Pride 8, NPF Diamonds 7 [10] 1-0 Sulphur, Louisiana
2August 19 USSSA Pride 7, NPF Diamonds 0 [10] 2-0 Sulphur, Louisiana
2011 NPF Championship Series
Chicago Bandits defeat USSSA Pride 2-0
GameDateScoreSeries
(CHI-USSSA)
Location
1August 20 Chicago Bandits 4, USSSA Pride 3, (8 innings) [11] 1-0 Sulphur, Louisiana
2August 21 Chicago Bandits 10, USSSA Pride 3 [12] 2-0 Sulphur, Louisiana

Championship Game

TeamTop BatterStats.
Chicago Bandits Nikki Nemitz 2-4 3RBIs 2B
USSSA Pride Natasha Watley 2-4 2RBIs
TeamPitcherIPHRERBBSO
Chicago Bandits Monica Abbott (W)7.053335
USSSA Pride Jordan Taylor (L)0.135410
USSSA Pride Sarah Pauly 2.243310
USSSA Pride Danielle Lawrie 3.002000


2011 NPF Championship Series MVP
PlayerClubStats.
Monica Abbott [13] Chicago Bandits 3-0 30Ks 2.17 ERA SV 0.79 WHIP (16Hs+7BBs/29.0 IP) [14]

Annual awards

Source: [15]

Ringor Cup
(Best regular season record)
USSSA Pride
AwardPlayerTeam
Player of the Year Award Jessica Mendoza USSSA Pride
Pitcher of the Year (tie) Monica Abbott Chicago Bandits
Cat Osterman USSSA Pride
Rookie of the Year Alisa Goler Chicago Bandits
Defensive Player of the Year Bianca Mejia NPF Diamonds
Offensive Player of the Year Natasha Watley USSSA Pride
Home Run Award Alisa Goler Chicago Bandits
Diamond Spike Award [note 1] Natasha Watley USSSA Pride
Coaching Staff of the Year USSSA Pride -- Tim Walton (HEAD COACH) and Beth Torina (ASSISTANT COACH)
Jennie Finch Award [note 2] Jessica Mendoza USSSA Pride

Award notes

  1. The Diamond Spike Award is given to the player with the most stolen bases
  2. The Jennie Finch award is given to the player who best exemplifies the character and qualities of its famous namesake, and who is considered to positively impact the game both on and off the field.
2011 All-NPF Team
PositionNameTeam
Pitcher Monica Abbott Chicago Bandits
Pitcher Cat Osterman USSSA Pride
Pitcher Kristina Thorson Akron Racers
Pitcher Danielle Lawrie USSSA Pride
Catcher Samantha Marder Akron Racers
1st Base Nicole Trimboli Akron Racers
2nd Base Ashley Charters USSSA Pride
3rd Base Andrea Duran USSSA Pride
Shortstop Natasha Watley USSSA Pride
Outfield Megan Wiggins Chicago Bandits
Outfield Jessica Mendoza USSSA Pride
Outfield Alyssa Haber USSSA Pride
At-Large Danielle Zymkowitz Chicago Bandits
At-Large Shannon Doepking Chicago Bandits
At-Large Brittany McKinney NPF Diamonds
At-Large Charlotte Morgan USSSA Pride
At-Large Bianca Mejia NPF Diamonds

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennie Finch</span> American softball player

Jennie Lynn Finch Daigle is an American former softball player. She played for the Arizona Wildcats softball team from 1999 to 2002, where she won the 2001 Women's College World Series and was named collegiate All-American. Later she led the United States women's national softball team to the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also pitched for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch from 2005 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Pro Fastpitch</span> American professional womens softball league

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Bandits</span> Former womens professional softball team

The Chicago Bandits were a women's professional softball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. Since the 2005 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). The Bandits won the 2008 NPF championship, defeating the Washington Glory in the final game of the championship series. The team won their second NPF championship following the 2011 season when they won the championship series two games to none over the USSSA Pride. Following the 2015 season the team won its third NPF championship defeating the USSSA Pride two games to none. They played their home games at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. The team folded in 2021 when the NPF disbanded.

The 2014 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 11th 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. Play began on May 30 in Salisbury, Maryland, between the Pennsylvania Rebellion and the USSSA Pride.

The 2015 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 12th 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 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 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.

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 2002 Women's Pro Softball League season was a year after the WPSL suspended play in 2001 and before it rebranded, toured, and resumed competitive play as National Pro Fastpitch in 2003 and 2004. From 1997 to 2002, the league operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL).

The 2001 Women's Professional Softball League season was the first year that the WPSL suspended play before relaunching the league in 2004 under the name National Pro Fastpitch. From 1997, WPSL operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL).

The 2016 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 13th 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 2018 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 15th 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.

References

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  13. "Chicago Bandits win softball championship". Daily Herald. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  14. "Monica Abbott Game Log 2011 Playoffs". Stats.805stats.com. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  15. "NPF Announces Award Winners". www.profastpitch.com. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)