Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Women's Professional Fastpitch season | |
Sport | Fastpitch softball |
---|---|
Founded | October 14, 2021 [1] |
First season | 2022 |
No. of teams | 4 |
Country | United States |
Headquarters | 4801 Gaillardia Parkway [2] Oklahoma City |
Most recent champion(s) | Texas Smoke |
Most titles | Texas Smoke (1 title) |
Official website | wprofastpitch.com |
Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) is a professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. The new league began its promotional campaign in 2021 [3] and launched its first official season in 2023. [4] [5] [6]
The league is unrelated to the defunct league that used the names National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) along with Women's Professional Fastpitch. Not to be confused with a new competing league, the Association of Fastpitch Professionals.
Following the 2023 season, the Oklahoma City Spark announced their departure from the WPF in December 2023. [7] In April 2024, the Smash It Sports Vipers and USSSA Pride both announced they would not participate in the 2024 season. [8] [9] Three new teams in Texas were added to replace the teams that left the league, the Coastal Bend Tidal Wave, Hub City Adelitas and Texas Monarchs. [10]
In April 2024, B4Real Enterprises was named the league's operations and management team. [11] On April 16, 2024, the WPF announced their intentions to expand internationally and add two teams from Mexico. [12]
Team | Location | Venue | Joined |
---|---|---|---|
Coastal Bend Tidal Wave | Robstown, Texas | Fairgrounds Field | 2024 |
Hub City Adelitas | Floydada, Texas | Lady Winds Field | 2024 |
Texas Monarchs | San Marcos, Texas | Bobcat Softball Stadium | 2024 |
Texas Smoke | 2023 |
Team | Location | Venue | First | Last | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Smash it Sports Vipers | Oxford, Alabama | Choccolocco Park | 2022 | 2023 | On hiatus [13] |
USSSA Pride | Viera, Florida | USSSA Space Coast Complex | 2022 | 2023 | On hiatus [14] |
Oklahoma City Spark | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium | 2023 | AFP team |
Season | Winning team | Coach | Series | Losing team | Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Texas Smoke | Tori Tyson | 2–0 | USSSA Pride | Kelly Kretschman |
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.
Charlotte Lee Morgan is an American former professional softball pitcher and current head coach for Cal State Northridge. She played college softball for Alabama from 2007 to 2010, where she is the career leader for the school in RBIs, also ranking top-15 in the NCAA Division I. She was also named a four-time all-conference honoree and twice named SEC Player of the Year. Morgan was the No. 1 draft pick in the 2010 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft, beginning her career with The USSSA Pride based in Kissimmee, Florida, winning a title in 2010. In 2020, Morgan was named the head coach of the California State University, Northridge softball team after previously working at several colleges as a pitching coach.
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 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 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 1998 Women's Pro Fastpitch season was the second season of professional softball for the Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF). The 66-game season was divided into two-halves, with the winner of each half meeting in a championship series.
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 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 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 USSSA Pride is a professional softball team based in Viera, Florida and a former member of Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). Founded in 2009, they previously played in National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) from 2009 to 2019. They play their home games at USSSA Space Coast Complex.
Gerald Dean Glasco Jr. is an American college softball coach who is currently head coach at Texas Tech and the Smash It Sports Vipers of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). Previously, Glasco was a high school softball coach, an assistant at Georgia and Texas A&M, and head coach for the USSSA Pride and Scrap Yard Dawgs of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).
Ashley Deon Charters is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired professional 2-time All-Star right-handed softball infielder, originally from Beaverton, Oregon. She played college softball for the Washington Huskies softball as shortstop and second baseman and was part of the 2009 Women's College World Series championship team of the Pac-12 Conference. She is one of the select NCAA players in the 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen base club. She later played two seasons with Team USA softball. After originally being drafted No. 11 in the National Pro Fastpitch, she went on to join the USSSA Pride and win a title in 2013.
Jessica "Jessie" Lynn Warren is an American, former collegiate All-American, professional softball player. She played college softball for the Florida State Seminoles, winning the 2018 Women's College World Series national title as a senior, and was subsequently named Most Outstanding Player for the series.
Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo is an American professional softball player for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners. Alo was named 2018 NFCA National Freshman of the Year, and named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. She is the NCAA Division I career leader in home runs. Alo was drafted first overall by the Smash It Vipers in the inaugural WPF draft.
Megan Ki'llani Faraimo is an American professional softball pitcher. She played college softball at UCLA from 2019 to 2023, where she was named a three-time All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). As a sophomore in 2020, she was named Softball America Pitcher of the Year. Faraimo played in Athletes Unlimited Softball, where she named the 2023 Athletes Unlimited Rookie of the Year.
The 2023 WPF season was the first season of competition for the Women's Professional Fastpitch. Four WPF teams competed in this season:Smash It Sports Vipers, USSSA Pride, Oklahoma City Spark and Texas Smoke.
The 2022 WPF season was the first season of operation of the Women's Professional Fastpitch. Two WPF teams competed in an exhibition season:Smash It Sports Vipers and USSSA Pride.
The team released a statement Wednesday saying it would not be participating in the 2024 season. However, the Vipers do plan to return to Oxford in 2025.
["...] the USSSA Pride will not operate in 2024," the statement read.