2007 National Pro Fastpitch season
| 2007 NPF Season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Pro Fastpitch |
| Sport | softball |
| Duration | May 29, 2007 – August 18, 2007 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| 2007 NPF Draft | |
| Top draft pick |
Lindsay Schutzler Tennessee |
| Picked by | Chicago Bandits |
| Regular Season | |
| Majestic Cup (Best record) | Washington Glory |
| Cowles Cup | |
| Champions | Washington Glory |
| Runners-up | Rockford Thunder |
| Finals MVP |
Monica Abbott Washington Glory |
The 2007 National Pro Fastpitch season is the fourth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch 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.
Teams, cities and stadiums
| Team | City | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Akron Racers | Akron, Ohio | Firestone Stadium |
| Chicago Bandits | Lisle, Illinois | Benedictine University Sports Complex[1] |
| New England Riptide | Lowell, Massachusetts | Martin Softball Field[2] |
| Philadelphia Force | Allentown, Pennsylvania | ECTB Stadium[3] |
| Rockford Thunder | Rockford, Illinois | SportsCore One[4] |
| Washington Glory | Fairfax, Virginia | Softball Complex at George Mason University[5] |
Milestones and events
A number of changes to the NPF roster of teams happened in the offseason:
The Texas Thunder were sold to new ownership based in Rockford, Illinois. They relocated there for the 2007 season and renamed themselves the Rockford Thunder.[6]
In January 2007, the Connecticut Brakettes announced they would no longer participate in NPF.[7]
In February, an expansion team named the Washington Glory was added to NPF, and the Glory inherited the contracts of players from the Brakettes.[8]
Arizona Heat suspended play for the 2007 season.[9] Despite rumors to the contrary, the Heat never rejoined NPF.
NPF hired Cheri Kempf to be commissioner. Kempf's background includes pitching on the 1992 gold medal-winning United States national team in the World Cup in Beijing, China, producing instructional books and videos on softball, and announcing professional and college softball telecasts.[10]
In March, the Akron Racers hired Shonda Stanton, the head softball coach at Marshall University to be field manager.[11]
Player acquisition
College draft
The 2007 NPF Senior Draft was held February 14, 2007. Lindsay Schutzler of Tennessee was selected first by the Chicago Bandits.[12]
Notable transactions
Cat Osterman was drafted first in the 2006 NPF Draft by the Connecticut Brakettes. She did not sign with them, becoming a free agent on September 30, 2006. In December 2006, she signed a deal to join the Rockford Thunder.[13]
League standings
Source [14]
| Team | GP | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Glory | 44 | 34 | 10 | .773 | - |
| Akron Racers | 43 | 26 | 17 | .605 | 7.5 |
| New England Riptide | 44 | 26 | 18 | .591 | 8 |
| Rockford Thunder | 44 | 24 | 20 | .545 | 10 |
| Philadelphia Force | 44 | 24 | 20 | .545 | 10 |
| Chicago Bandits | 44 | 23 | 21 | .523 | 11 |
The Michigan Ice played a partial schedule in 2007, with hopes of receiving investor support in 2008 to become a full-time NPF member. The Ice never became a full-time member. League games against Team China, Denso Japan professional softball team, the Venezuela national team and the Stratford Brakettes were also scheduled. The results counted in the NPF's team records.[15]
NPF Championship
The 2007 NPF Championship Series was held at Sunset Point Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin August 24-6. The top four teams qualified and were seeded based on the final standings. The series matched the teams up in a double-elimination bracket.[16]
| August 25, 2007[17] | August 25, 2007 | August 26, 2007 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington Glory | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Rockford Thunder | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | New England Riptide | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Washington Glory | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Akron Racers | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | New England Riptide | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Washington Glory | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W5 | Rockford Thunder | 1 | ||||||||||||
| L1 | Akron Racers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| L2 | Rockford Thunder | 6 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Rockford Thunder | 5 | ||||||||||||
| L4 | New England Riptide | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 1 #2 seed vs. #3 seed | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 1 | August 25 | Akron Racers 0, New England Riptide 3[18] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Riptide advance; Racers to losers bracket | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 2 #1 seed vs. #4 seed | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 2 | August 25 | Washington Glory 4, Rockford Thunder 0[19] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Glory advance; Thunder to losers bracket | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 3 Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 3 | August 25 | Akron Racers 3, Rockford Thunder 6 (10 innings)[20] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Rockford Thunder eliminate Akron Racers | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 4 Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 4 | August 25 | Washington Glory 2, New England Riptide 1[21] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Glory to final; Riptide to losers bracket | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 5 Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 5 | August 26 | Rockford Thunder 5, New England Riptide 0[22] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Thunder to final; Riptide eliminated | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series - Game 6 Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Score | Location | ||||
| 6 | August 24 | Washington Glory 3, Rockford Thunder 1[23] | Kimberly, Wisconsin | ||||
| Washington Glory win NPF Championship | |||||||
| 2007 NPF Championship Series MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | |
| Monica Abbott[23] | Washington Glory | |
Annual awards
Source:[24]
| Majestic Cup (Best regular season record) |
|---|
| Washington Glory |
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year Award | Amber Jackson | Washington Glory |
| Pitcher of the Year | Desiree Serrano | Washington Glory |
| Rookie of the Year | Kristina Thorson | Philadelphia Force |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Jackie Pasquerella | New England Riptide |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Veronica Wootson | Akron Racers |
| Manager of the Year | Carie Dever-Boaz | Washington Glory |
| 2007 All-NPF Team[25] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Team | |
| Pitcher | Kristina Thorson | Philadelphia Force | |
| Pitcher | Desiree Serrano | Washington Glory | |
| Pitcher | Sarah Pauly | Washington Glory | |
| Pitcher | Eileen Canney | New England Riptide | |
| Catcher | Mackenzie Vandergeest | Rockford Thunder | |
| 1st Base | Kellie Wilkerson | Philadelphia Force | |
| 2nd Base | Veronica Wootson | Akron Racers | |
| 3rd Base | Norrelle Dickson | Akron Racers | |
| Shortstop | Amber Jackson | Washington Glory | |
| Outfield | Kristen Zaleski | Rockford Thunder | |
| Outfield | Sharonda McDonald | Philadelphia Force | |
| Outfield | Shanel Scott | New England Riptide | |
| At-Large | Oli Keohohou | Washington Glory | |
| At-Large | Nicole Thompson | Washington Glory | |
| At-Large | Chelsea Spencer | Philadelphia Force | |
| At-Large | Jamie Clark | Chicago Bandits | |
| At-Large | Kristen Butler | Akron Racers | |
| At-Large | Serena Settlemier | Rockford Thunder | |
See also
- List of professional sports leagues
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
References
- ↑ "Directions". ChicagoBandits.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "Stadium". New England Riptide. Archived from the original on 21 August 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "Stadium". PhiladelphiaForce.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "ROCKFORD THUNDER". ThunderProFastpitch.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "TEAMS". profastpitch.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "Texas Thunder to Relocate to Rockford". OurSportsCentral.com. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "BRAKETTES ANNOUNCE 2007 CHANGES". Brakettes.com. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "Washington, DC team to join National Pro Fastpitch". OurSportsCentral.com. 6 February 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ Greg Hansen (11 February 2007). "Opinion by Greg Hansen : Heat suspends play for 2007". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ↑ "Kempf Named NPF Commissioner". National Fastpitch Coaches Association. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "Marshall's Shonda Stanton Named Field Manager for National Pro Fastpitch's Akron Racers". HerdZone.com. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "National Pro Fastpitch Announces 2007 College Draft Selections". ProFastpitch.com. 14 February 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ "Osterman signs with the Rockford Thunder". TexasSports.com. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ↑ "2007". profastpitch.com. 19 August 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ "2007 NATIONAL PRO FASTPITCH SCHEDULE RELEASED". profastpitch.com. 9 February 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ Marty Gitlin (18 August 2007). "2007 Playoffs Right Around the Corner". profastpitch.com. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "FIRST DAY OF CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER". profastpitch.com. 24 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "Riptide started off on right foot". Lowell Sun. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "Glory Claim First Playoff Victory of NPF Playoffs Behind No Hitter From Monica Abbott". Pointed Magazine. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "National Pro Fastpitch games". Appleton Post Crescent. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "RIPTIDE FALLS SHORT TO GLORY, 2-1". Profastpitch.com. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ "Thunder Into Finals Behind Osterman No-Hitter". Profastpitch.com. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Glory Win Championship Game Over Thunder 3-1Abbott Named Series MVP". Profastpitch.com. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ "2007 Awards Announced". OurSportsCentral.com. 24 August 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ "Force Foursome on All-NPF Team, Thorson Top Rookie". OurSportsCentral.com. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2015.