Auburn Sigurdson is a Canadian Olympian, former softball pitcher, and now works as a marketing and communications professional in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has attended Simon Fraser University where she studied communications, and subsequently attended Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where she studied graphic design. She was a part of the Canadian Softball team who finished 5th at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and now works to give back to the sport of softball as a Master Pitching Instructor within Softball Canada's CanPitch Program.
A juggernaut is an unstoppable force.
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 New England Riptide was a women's professional fastpitch softball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. Since the 2004 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch. Operations were suspended in February 2009.
Natasha Renee Watley is an American, former collegiate four-time first-team All-American, two-time medal winning Olympian, retired seven-time pro All-Star softball player. Watley played college softball at UCLA, and helped the Bruins win a national championship. She represented the United States women's national softball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal, and again at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and won a silver medal.
Michele Mary Smith is an American, former collegiate All-American, two-time medal-winning Olympian, international professional left-handed hitting fastpitch softball pitcher and current sports commentator, originally from Califon, New Jersey. Smith played her college career for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls for the years 1986–89, where she set numerous records in the now defunct Big Eight Conference. She is also a double Olympic Softball gold medalist with Team USA, having played in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. She has been ESPN's lead college softball color analyst since 1998. In 2012, Smith became the first woman to serve as commentator for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game. Smith is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Lauren Elizabeth Lappin is an American former collegiate All-American and medal-winning Olympian, professional All-Star softball player and current assistant coach for Arizona. She played college softball at Stanford and led them to a semifinal finish at the 2004 Women's College World Series. She later represented the United States women's national softball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal. She then played in the National Pro Fastpitch from 2010 to 2014, winning two Cowles Cup championships with the USSSA Pride.
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 New York/New Jersey Comets were a women's professional softball team. In February 2013, National Pro Fastpitch announced the Comets as an expansion team, replacing the Carolina Diamonds which had folded at the end of the 2012 season. The team played home games at several sites in 2013: Provident Bank Park in Ramapo, New York, Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair, New Jersey, TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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 California Sunbirds were a women's professional softball team based in Stockton, CA. They were one of the founding members of National Pro Fastpitch in 2004. The team folded shortly after the 2005 season concluded.
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 1997 Women's Pro Fastpitch season was the first season of women's professional softball for Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF). The season began on May 30, 1997 and finished in a championship series between the two highest finishers.
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 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:
Chelsea Spencer is an American, former collegiate All-American, professional four-time All-Star, softball player, who is currently the head coach at California. She played college softball as a shortstop for the California Golden Bears in the Pac-12 Conference, and helped them to the 2002 Women's College World Series national title and two runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2004.
The California Commotion were a professional women's softball team based in California. They were founded in 2019 as part of National Pro Fastpitch to be an expansion club for the 2020 National Pro Fastpitch season.
