Tragic story of a the Dickinson State softball players from ESPN by Elizabeth Merrill.
This story is more in depth and personal than a simple news story. A fitting tribute to the three young women whose lives were cut short.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Southern Division for NPF Coming Soon?
This post was found on http://www.fastpitch.us/. Seems like a good follow up post to the news that the Rockford Thunder are moving to Atlanta. A Southern Division of the NPF makes a lot of sense and would expand the sport in areas where it is very popular.
When The National Pro Fastpitch League first started up a few years back, I was caught off guard by the locations of their teams. Texas had a team which was exactly what I expected. I had hoped it would be in the Dallas/Ft Worth area.
The surprise was the rest of the league being located up North. I guess really more in the Northeast. I know softball is popular in the Northeast, but I do not think of that area as a hot bed for softball. When I think of softball I think of California, Florida, Oklahoma, and of course Texas. I think of the southern part of the country. That is the part of the country that has really been left out of The National Pro Fastpitch League.
I think that may be getting ready to change. As you know The National Pro Fastpitch League announced a partnership with the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) that brought the Glory to central Florida last year. Now the word is out that a group out of Georgia is trying to bring a a National Pro Fastpitch Team to that state. Then if you add the fact that The National Pro Fastpitch League announced their Championships would be held in Louisiana next year, and what do you have?
I say you have the start of a southern division. I called Cheri Kempf, The President/Commissioner of The National Pro Fastpitch League, she would not confirm my thoughts, but did agree that the South would be a good place for teams to play. That the fans had a good knowledge of fastpitch softball.
I don’t have any insider information. I am just adding it up, and 2 plus 2 equals a southern division to me.
When The National Pro Fastpitch League first started up a few years back, I was caught off guard by the locations of their teams. Texas had a team which was exactly what I expected. I had hoped it would be in the Dallas/Ft Worth area.
The surprise was the rest of the league being located up North. I guess really more in the Northeast. I know softball is popular in the Northeast, but I do not think of that area as a hot bed for softball. When I think of softball I think of California, Florida, Oklahoma, and of course Texas. I think of the southern part of the country. That is the part of the country that has really been left out of The National Pro Fastpitch League.
I think that may be getting ready to change. As you know The National Pro Fastpitch League announced a partnership with the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) that brought the Glory to central Florida last year. Now the word is out that a group out of Georgia is trying to bring a a National Pro Fastpitch Team to that state. Then if you add the fact that The National Pro Fastpitch League announced their Championships would be held in Louisiana next year, and what do you have?
I say you have the start of a southern division. I called Cheri Kempf, The President/Commissioner of The National Pro Fastpitch League, she would not confirm my thoughts, but did agree that the South would be a good place for teams to play. That the fans had a good knowledge of fastpitch softball.
I don’t have any insider information. I am just adding it up, and 2 plus 2 equals a southern division to me.
Atlanta To Get Pro Softball Team
A group of investors has signed a letter of intent with the National Pro Fastpitch softball league to bring the Rockford Thunder – a six-year-old franchise from Rockford, Ill. – to the area, Atlanta attorney Preston Delashmit said.
Delashmit and his family would be the majority owners, he said. He declined to disclose financial terms of the deal.
The deal is pending league approval, Delashmit said.
The Rockford franchise won the 2009 league championship. The current owner, an Illinois attorney, said in August he had three children entering college and “we just have too much on our plate to continue to operate the Thunder at the level it deserves.”
Delashmit said he would buy the assets from the attorney but also has to acquire the franchise rights from the league.
He would like to keep the “Thunder” name but must confirm that it’s not already being used.
“It would have been simpler if we had bought the team and it had stayed in Rockford, but the whole idea is to relocate to Atlanta,” he said. “We’d like to keep the team intact as much as possible.”
Delashmit said he hopes the team will play at Kennesaw State University, which recently bought 88 acres for intramural and club sports fields as well as an 8,300-seat stadium.
The Fastpitch pro softball league was formed 18 years ago in Boulder, Colo and is now based in Tennessee. Besides Rockford, there are teams in Akron, Ohio; Chicago; Kissimmee, Fla.; and Allentown, Pa.
The Rockford franchise started in Houston as the Texas Thunder. It was moved to Northern Illinois three years later.
Delashmit’s daughter has been playing softball since age 5 and is a freshman outfielder at Georgia Tech. He said his plans were to bring a team to Atlanta in two or three years but when the Rockford team was for sale, he decided to take advantage. He met with the coaches at Georgia Tech – assistant coach Aileen Morales played for the Chicago Bandits for two years – and “started talking about how we could pull this together.”
The season starts again in June. For Delashmit, a project that was going to take maybe two years now has to come together in about 30 days, he said.
“We’re hoping to be able to pull this off and keep more of our southern athletes here and close to home,” he said. “A lot of these players, who are now elsewhere, played in the SEC and the ACC.”
Source The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This story can be found at www.fastpitch.us.
This is a great move for the NPF. It moves the franchise to a much larger market, while also moving the team farther south. Hopefully, the NPF can continue to expand and perhaps OKC can step up to be a future NPF franchise.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
"Quit is a four letter word"
Great story from ESPN RISE.
The easy route is to give up, but Parkway Central High School out of Chesterfield, Mo. never says die.
The count was 3-2 and Alyssa Waitz started the rally reaching first on a walk. From there, it escalated quickly. Ali Gorman followed with a hit and Tia Pennington drew a walk to load up the bases with no outs. Cassie Rupel, the team's pitcher, helped herself by knocking in the first run, closing the gap to 4-2. Lori Jones and Emily Greenstein followed with walks with the bases loaded to score two more for the Colts.
With the score tied 4-4, the Fort Zumwalt South pitcher, Lexy Moore, threw a wild pitch and Rupel scored from third to win the game for the Colts.
In the beginning of the inning, the Bulldog fans had been chanting "State! State! State!” as this was the last inning of the game that would lead them to playoffs. Their fans were silent and the Colts took over the cheering.
The easy route is to give up, but Parkway Central High School out of Chesterfield, Mo. never says die.
The count was 3-2 and Alyssa Waitz started the rally reaching first on a walk. From there, it escalated quickly. Ali Gorman followed with a hit and Tia Pennington drew a walk to load up the bases with no outs. Cassie Rupel, the team's pitcher, helped herself by knocking in the first run, closing the gap to 4-2. Lori Jones and Emily Greenstein followed with walks with the bases loaded to score two more for the Colts.
With the score tied 4-4, the Fort Zumwalt South pitcher, Lexy Moore, threw a wild pitch and Rupel scored from third to win the game for the Colts.
In the beginning of the inning, the Bulldog fans had been chanting "State! State! State!” as this was the last inning of the game that would lead them to playoffs. Their fans were silent and the Colts took over the cheering.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
ESPN RISE Softball Story about a Ninnekah HS Senior
Shaylah Goodson is this week's player to watch. This class of 2010 star plays at Ninnekah High School in Okla.
Her junior year she batted an impressive .337 with an on-base percentage of .463. In 86 at bats she recorded 40 runs scored and 25 RBIs.
Her high school pitcher quit that season and gave her a chance to pitch, although she was not used to this position. Even with her inexperience, she was able to record an ERA of 2.45 with a record of 10-5.
Her freshman year she was named her team's Defensive Player of the Year and her sophomore year she was the team's MVP. She was unable to receive awards this past season because she has transferred schools (from Verden HS to Ninnekah).
Maybe more impressive, is that Goodson is an all-around athlete. She was her team's basketball MVP last season and was All-Conference since her freshman year.
Keep an eye on Goodson as she continues to tear up the fields this travel ball season!
This story can be found at ESPN RISE.
Her junior year she batted an impressive .337 with an on-base percentage of .463. In 86 at bats she recorded 40 runs scored and 25 RBIs.
Her high school pitcher quit that season and gave her a chance to pitch, although she was not used to this position. Even with her inexperience, she was able to record an ERA of 2.45 with a record of 10-5.
Her freshman year she was named her team's Defensive Player of the Year and her sophomore year she was the team's MVP. She was unable to receive awards this past season because she has transferred schools (from Verden HS to Ninnekah).
Maybe more impressive, is that Goodson is an all-around athlete. She was her team's basketball MVP last season and was All-Conference since her freshman year.
Keep an eye on Goodson as she continues to tear up the fields this travel ball season!
This story can be found at ESPN RISE.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Florida Softball Unveils 2010 Schedule
University of Florida head softball coach Tim Walton announced the 2010 schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The Gators will face two teams who also competed in the 2009 Women’s College World Series, both SEC teams, including Alabama, who the Gators defeated in the SEC Tournament Championship and WCWS. The schedule also features three early-season tournaments, including one hosted by the Gators and one in California, where the seven players will have a chance to play in their home state.
Florida comes off one of the best seasons in the program’s history, as the Gators amassed a 63-5 record and made their second trip to the WCWS and their first to the championship series. The 2009 Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament champions return 11 starters, including four All-Americans. They will be facing 13 teams that played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
You can read the rest of the above story at http://www.wctv.tv/
Friday, November 6, 2009
Reese Witherspoon is A Softball Superstar
Reese Witherspoon shows off her softball skills on the set of her new film, How Do You Know? in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday (November 3).
On set, Reese sported a USA jersey and posed stealing a base.
Read more: Just JaredThis movie is currently in production. It features Reese Witherspoon as a softball player in a romantic tug-of-war with an office worker (Paul Rudd) and a baseball player (Owen Wilson). The movie is projected to come out at the end of 2010. It will be interesting to see a movie come out with a main character as a softball player. Hopefully "How Do You Know?" crushes "Legally Blonde 2" like a Crystal Bustos homer.
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