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.
The Texas Charge were a women's professional softball team based in San Marcos, Texas. The team began play as the Dallas Charge as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) with a game on June 3, 2015. They were initially headquartered in the Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas area, with most home games at The Ballfields at Craig Ranch.
The 2015 NPF College Draft is the twelfth annual collegiate draft for NPF, and was held on Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 5:30 pm CST at the CMA Theater in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Draft order was determined by regular season standings from 2014, but subsequent trades and transactions altered the overall draft order. The draft was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network
National Pro Fastpitch held two drafts before the 2016 season:
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 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.
The 2000 WPSL Drafts were held on December 4, 1999, at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida during the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention for the 2000 season. Draft Day 2000 actually featured three drafts:
The 2010 NPF Senior Draft is the seventh annual NPF Draft. It was held February 10, 2010 8:00 pm EST in Kissimmee, FL at the Hermitage Key Resort for the 2010 season. It was streamed live on the Major League Baseball's website MLB.com. The first selection was Alabama's Charlotte Morgan, picked by the USSSA Florida Pride. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.
The 2009 NPF Senior Draft is the sixth annual NPF Draft. It was held February 17, 2009 7:00 PM EST, hosted by the Akron Racers at the Cambria Suites Akron-Canton Airport location for the 2009 season. It was streamed live on TheSoftballChannel.com. The first selection was Arizona State's Kaitlin Cochran, picked by the Akron Racers.Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.
The 2008 NPF Senior Draft is the fifth annual NPF Draft. It was held February 18, 2008 via conference call for the 2008 season. The first selection was Arizona State's Katie Burkhart, picked by the Philadelphia Force. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.
The 2007 NPF College Senior Draft is the fourth annual NPF Draft. It was held February 14, 2007 to assign division I college players to pro teams for 2007 season. The first selection was Tennessee's Lindsay Schutzler, picked by the Chicago Bandits. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.
The 2006 NPF Senior Draft is the third annual NPF Draft. It was held February 15, 2006 to assign division I 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 2005 Senior College Player Selections was the second annual NPF player draft. It was held February 7, 2005 to assign division I college players to pro teams for 2005 season. The first selection was Southern Illinois' Amy Harre, picked by the expansion Chicago Bandits. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended. The Arizona Heat made their selection in round 1, but passed on all their subsequent selections. NPF teams' exclusive rights to players selected in the 2005 draft expired July 15, 2005.
The 2004 NPF Draft denotes a series of player drafts as a part of the launch of the NPF inaugural season. On December 6, 2003 in conjunction with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Convention at the Del Lago Resort in Montgomery, Texas the eight original NPF teams selected players in two drafts: a four-round Elite Draft that selected players who had completed their college eligibility and a six-round College Senior Draft which selected players in their final year of college. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.
Before the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) decided to suspend play for the 2001 season, it held its regularly scheduled 2001 WPSL Senior Draft on December 2, 2000, at Adam's Mark Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk in conjunction with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention. As the league did not resume play until 2004, many draftees never played in the league. However, some did, even making an All-Star team.
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 Scrap Yard Fast Pitch was an independent women's professional softball team based in Conroe, Texas, just north of Houston. Established in October 2015 as the Scrap Yard Dawgs, the team played in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The Dawgs were the first NPF team to be based in the Houston area since the Texas Thunder became the Rockford Thunder in the 2007 season. In 2017, the Dawgs won their first NPF title against Pride in the best of three game series.
The 2011 NPF Draft is the eighth annual NPF Draft. It was held March 18, 2011 8:00 pm EST in Orlando, FL at the Amway Center for the 2011 season. It was streamed live on the Major League Baseball's website MLB.com. The first selection was Alabama's Kelsi Dunne, picked by the NPF Diamonds. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.
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 NPF College Draft was the 16th annual collegiate draft for the National Pro Fastpitch. It took place April 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee at Acme Feed & Seed, a downtown entertainment venue. It was available for internet viewing via NPFTV, the league's streaming platform. The Chicago Bandits selected Kelly Barnhill from Florida with the first overall pick in the draft.
