Statistical leaders
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2019) |
| 2018 NPF Season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Pro Fastpitch |
| Sport | softball |
| Number of teams | 5 |
| 2018 NPF Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Paige Lowary P Oklahoma |
| Picked by | Chicago Bandits |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | USSSA Pride |
| Player of the Year | Brenna Moss |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Brenna Moss |
| Pitcher of the Year | Jolene Henderson |
| Gold Glove Award | Jade Rhodes |
| Cowles Cup | |
| Champions | USSSA Pride |
| Runners-up | Chicago Bandits |
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.
On October 12, 2017, it was reported the Texas Charge would be dissolving, effective immediately. [1] The NPF did not make an announcement regarding the Charge, but all Charge players under contract were added to the league's transactions page as free agents. [2]
In an arrangement similar to the Beijing Eagles', NPF announced in December 2017 that Softball Australia would be operating a 2018 expansion team, the Aussie Spirit. [3]
On January 28, 2018, the Scrap Yard Dawgs announced via press release they would no longer be affiliated with the NPF. They indicated they would continue as an independent team. [4] On the same day, Ohio.com reported that the Akron Racers would be replaced by a Chinese team, similar to the Beijing Eagles. [5]
| Team | City | Stadium | Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aussie Spirit | Travelling Team | Head Coach: TBA Assistants: TBA | |
| Beijing Shougang Eagles | Travelling Team | Head Coach: Teresa Wilson Assistants: Breanne Lewis, Thomas Hazelhurst | |
| Chicago Bandits | Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago Area) | Ballpark at Rosemont | Head Coach: Stacey Nuveman Deniz Assistant: TBA |
| Cleveland Comets | Travelling Team | Head Coach: TBA Assistants: TBA | |
| USSSA Pride | Viera, Florida | Space Coast Stadium | Head Coach: Lonni Alameda Assistants: Travis Wilson, Craig Snider |
The 2018 NPF College Draft will be the 13th annual collegiate draft for NPF.
| Team | GP | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSSA Pride | 47 | 42 | 5 | .894 | - |
| Chicago Bandits | 47 | 37 | 10 | .787 | 5 |
| Aussie Spirit | 48 | 16 | 32 | .333 | 26.5 |
| Beijing Shougang Eagles | 46 | 13 | 33 | .283 | 28.5 |
| Cleveland Comets | 48 | 10 | 38 | .208 | 32.5 |
| 2018 NPF Records | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Spirit | Eagles | Bandits | Comets | Pride |
| Aussie Spirit | — | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Beijing Shougang Eagles | 0-0 | — | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Chicago Bandits | 0-0 | 0-0 | — | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Cleveland Comets | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | — | 0-0 |
| USSSA Florida Pride | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | — |
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Protest/Halted Game | |
| Postponement | |
| Bold | Winning team |
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home | Venue | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Player of the Game | Attendance |
|---|
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home | Venue | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Player of the Game | Attendance |
|---|
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home | Venue | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Player of the Game | Attendance |
|---|
| NPF Semifinals | NPF Championship | ||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 2018 NPF Semifinals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Winning Pitcher | Save | Losing Pitcher | Player of the Game | Series |
| 2018 NPF Semifinals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Winning Pitcher | Save | Losing Pitcher | Player of the Game | Series |
| 2018 NPF Championship Series | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Winning Pitcher | Save | Losing Pitcher | Player of the Game | Series |
| Team | Top Batter | Stats. |
|---|---|---|
| USSSA Pride | Chelsea Goodacre & Hallie Wilson | 1-1 RBI 2B |
| Chicago Bandits | Brenna Moss | 3-4 |
| Team | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSSA Pride | Jessica Burroughs (W) | 4.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| USSSA Pride | Delanie Gourley | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| USSSA Pride | Jolene Henderson | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Chicago Bandits | Aleshia Ocasio (L) | 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chicago Bandits | Rachele Fico | 1.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Chicago Bandits | Ally Carda | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chicago Bandits | Danielle O'Toole | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chicago Bandits | Shelby Turnier | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 NPF Championship Series MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Stats. |
| Shelby Pendley | USSSA Pride | .428 (3/7) 2RBIs HR 2BBs [8] |
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2019) |
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2019) |
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year Award | Brenna Moss | Chicago Bandits |
| Pitcher of the Year | Jolene Henderson | USSSA Pride |
| Gold Glove Presented by Rawlings | Jade Rhodes | Cleveland Comets |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Brenna Moss | Chicago Bandits |
| Rookie of the Year | Jessie Scroggins | Chicago Bandits |
| Stolen Bases Award [note 1] | Brenna Moss | Chicago Bandits |
| Home Run Award [note 2] | Emily Carosone | Chicago Bandits |
| Lauren Chamberlain | USSSA Pride | |
| Megan Wiggins | USSSA Pride | |
| Jennie Finch Award [note 3] | Nadia Taylor | Chicago Bandits |
| Regular Season Championship Cup [note 4] | USSSA Florida Pride | |
| Coaching Staff of the Year | Mike Stith, Cody Dent, Andrea Duran | USSSA Florida Pride |
| Umpire of the Year | Bill Gomoluch | |
| 2018 All-NPF Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Team |
| Catcher | Kristyn Sandberg | Chicago Bandits |
| First base | Jade Rhodes | Cleveland Comets |
| Second base | Emily Carosone | Chicago Bandits |
| Third base | Bianka Bell | USSSA Pride |
| Shortstop | Shelby Pendley | USSSA Pride |
| Outfield | Brenna Moss | Chicago Bandits |
| Outfield | Sammy Marshall | Chicago Bandits |
| Outfield | Megan Wiggins | USSSA Pride |
| Designated player | Lauren Chamberlain | USSSA Pride |
| At Large | Hallie Wilson | USSSA Pride |
| At Large | Jessie Scroggins | Chicago Bandits |
| At Large | Victoria Draper | Beijing Shougang Eagles |
| At Large | Nadia Taylor | Chicago Bandits |
| At Large | Sierra Romero | USSSA Pride |
| Pitcher | Jolene Henderson | USSSA Pride |
| Pitcher | Shelby Turnier | Texas Charge |
| Pitcher | Keilani Ricketts | USSSA Pride |
| Pitcher | Jessica Burroughs | USSSA Pride |
Stacey "Nuvey" Nuveman-Deniz is an American softball coach and former player who is the head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs softball team at San Diego State University (SDSU). She played for the UCLA Bruins at the catcher position on-and-off from 1997 to 2002, winning a national championship in 1999. She also won two Olympic gold medals and one silver medal for Team USA.
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 Akron Racers were a women's softball team based in Akron, Ohio. In 2018 they moved to Cleveland and were renamed the Cleveland Comets. The team was started by Joey Arietta in 1999 to participate in the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). From 2004-2017, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).
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 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 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.
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 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 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 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 2017 NPF College Draft is the 14th annual collegiate draft for National Pro Fastpitch. It took place April 24, 2017 7:00 CT 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 Jessica Burroughs of Florida State, picked by the USSSA Pride.
The 2000 Women's Professional Softball League season was the fourth season of professional women's fastpitch softball for the league named Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL). It was the WPSL's final season until the league relaunched in 2004 under the name National Pro Fastpitch. In 1997 and 1998, WPSL operated under the name Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF).
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 following is a list 2016 NPF transactions that have occurred in the National Pro Fastpitch softball league since the completion of the 2015 season and during the 2016 season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed. Per Commissioner Cheri Kempf's tweet, NPF contracts expire in February, therefore the extension of a contract "through 2018" means the player is only contracted to play through the 2017 season, with the contract expiring the following February. "Thru 2018 season" therefore would mean a contract that expires in February 2019, covering only games played in 2018.
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 following is a list 2017 NPF transactions that have occurred in the National Pro Fastpitch softball league since the completion of the 2016 season and during the 2017 season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed. Per Commissioner Cheri Kempf's tweet, NPF contracts expire in February, therefore the extension of a contract "through 2028" means the player is only contracted to play through the 2027 season, with the contract expiring the following February. "Thru 2028 season" therefore would mean a contract that expires in February 2029, covering only games played in 2028.
