2018 NPF Draft

2018 NPF College Draft
General Information
Sport	Softball
Date(s)	April 23, 2018
Time	7:00 pm CST
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
Network(s)	NPFTV
Overview
	23 total selections
League	National Pro Fastpitch
Teams	5
First selection	Paige Lowary P; Oklahoma ; selected by Chicago Bandits
Fewest selection	Aussie Spirit (2)
Most selection	Cleveland Comets (7)
	← 2017 NPF Draft 2019 NPF Draft →

Last updated March 05, 2019

The 2018 NPF College Draft was the 15th annual collegiate draft for the National Pro Fastpitch. It took place April 23, 2018 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 first selection was Paige Lowary of Oklahoma, picked by the Chicago Bandits.

Nashville is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The city is the county seat of Davidson County and is located on the Cumberland River. The city's population ranks 24th in the U.S. According to 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the total consolidated city-county population stood at 691,243. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Davidson County, was 667,560 in 2017.

The Chicago Bandits are 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 play their home games at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.

The Draft

Drafting an athlete gives an NPF affiliate team the rights to that athlete for two full seasons.

Draft Selections

Position key:
C = catcher; INF = infielder; SS = shortstop; OF = outfielder; UT = Utility infielder; P = pitcher; RHP = right-handed pitcher; LHP = left-handed pitcher
Positions will be listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his/her turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket.

An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Today shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the lineup. In the numbering system used by scorers to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.

⁺	Denotes player who has been selected to at least one All-NPF team
^#	Denotes player who has not played in the NPF

Round 1

Pick	Player	Pos.	NPF Team	College
1	Paige Lowary	Pitcher	Chicago Bandits	Oklahoma
2	Allie Walljasper	Pitcher	Beijing Shougang Eagles	LSU
3	Gwen Svekis	Catcher	Chicago Bandits	Oregon
4	Randi Rupp	Pitcher	Cleveland Comets	Texas State
5	Kylee Hanson^#	Pitcher	Cleveland Comets	Florida State
6	Paige Parker	Pitcher	USSSA Pride	Oklahoma

Round 2

Pick	Player	Pos.	NPF Team	College
7	Jessie Warren	Third Base	USSSA Pride	Florida State
8	Emily Watson	Pitcher	Beijing Shougang Eagles	Tulsa
9	Carley Hoover^#	Pitcher	Cleveland Comets	LSU
10	Aleshia Ocasio	Utility/Pitcher	Chicago Bandits	Florida
11	Vanessa Shippy^#	Utility	Cleveland Comets	Oklahoma State
12	Nicole Pendley	Outfield	USSSA Pride	Oklahoma

Round 3

Pick	Player	Pos.	NPF Team	College
13	Kaylee Carlson^#	Pitcher	Aussie Spirit	Auburn
14	Brittany Gray	Pitcher	Beijing Shougang Eagles	Georgia
15	Jessie Scroggins⁺	Outfield	Chicago Bandits	Baylor
16	Alexis Osorio^#	Pitcher	Cleveland Comets	Alabama
17	Nicole DeWitt	Utility	USSSA Pride	Florida

Round 4

Pick	Player	Pos.	NPF Team	College
18	Kaitlin Lee^#	Pitcher	Aussie Spirit	Ole Miss
19	Victoria Draper⁺	Outfield	Beijing Shougang Eagles	Auburn
20	Devin Brown	Pitcher	Cleveland Comets	South Alabama
21	DJ Sanders	Infield	Chicago Bandits	Oregon
22	Jenna Lilley	Infield	Cleveland Comets	Oregon
23	Cortni Emanuel^#	Outfield	USSSA Pride	Georgia

Draft notes

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Round 6:

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References

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