2018 National Pro Fastpitch season
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.
| 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 |
Milestones and events
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 Beijng 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]
Rule changes
Teams, cities and stadiums
| 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 |
Player acquisition
College draft
The 2018 NPF College Draft will be the 13th annual collegiate draft for NPF.
Notable transactions
- Head Coaching Changes
- The Bandits announced that coach Sharonda McDonald would not be returning for the 2018 season.[6] On September 19, they announced that their new coach would be Olympian medalist and NCAA champion Stacey Nuveman Deniz.[7] Nuveman Deniz held the NCAA home run record of 90 from 2002 to 2015, when Lauren Chamberlain broke it. She played in the NPF for the Arizona Heat in 2005.
League standings
| 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 |
Results table
| 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 |
2018 Game log
May/June
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home | Venue | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Player of the Game | Attendance |
|---|
July
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home | Venue | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Player of the Game | Attendance |
|---|
August
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home | Venue | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Player of the Game | Attendance |
|---|
NPF Championship
| 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 |
Championship Game
| 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] |
Statistical leaders
Players of the Week
Annual awards
| 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 | |
All-NPF Team
| 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 |
Notes
- The Stolen Bases Award is given to the player with the most stolen bases
- The Home Run Award goes to the player(s) who hit the most home runs
- The Jennie Finch award is given to the player who best exemplifies the character and qualities of its famous namesake, and who is considered to positively impact the game both on and off the field.
- The Regular Season Championship Cup goes to the team with the best regular season record
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See also
References
- "NPF'S TEXAS CHARGE DISSOLVED; WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN 2018 SEASON". Justin's World of Softball. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "TRANSACTIONS". ProFastpitch,com. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "National Pro Fastpitch Adds Aussie Spirit in 2018". ProFastpitch.com. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- Chez Sievers (28 January 2018). "Scrap Yard Dawgs Announce They Are Leaving NPF". FloSoftball.com. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- Michael Beaven (28 January 2018). "Professional softball: Future of Akron Racers in doubt, no pro games to be played at Firestone Stadium in 2018". Ohio.com. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- "BANDITS TO FIND NEW HEAD COACH FOR 2018". ChicagoBandits,com. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- "Bandits Name Stacey Nuveman-Deniz as Head Coach". Justin's World of Softball. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- "Shelby Pendley Game Log 2018 Championships". Stats.805stats.com. Retrieved 2020-07-01.CS1 maint: location (link)
External links
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