Nashville, Tenn – National Pro Fastpitch announced final plans today for the 2012 NPF College Draft. The 2012 Draft which is presented by Miken will take place at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis Tennessee on March 7 at 5:00 CST. The Memphis Sports Council is hosting the event in conjunction with the Peabody Hotel.
All four affiliate teams of the NPF will take part in the Draft. The Draft consists of twenty overall athlete selections that are divided into five rounds consisting of four picks per round. The first overall pick in the 2012 NPF Draft belongs to the USSSA Florida Pride, a position that resulted from a mid-season trade in 2011 with the NPF Diamonds.
The Draft can be seen live through the internet broadcast hosted on the League’s website atwww.profastpitch.com. The internet broadcast will go on air at 4:45 CST with a preview and introductions and the Draft itself will begin at approximately 5:00 pm CST.
GameDay Sports of Memphis is sponsoring several special events for young girls in conjunction with the 2012 NPF Draft. All events will feature NPF players. Leading the way will be an appearance and motivational speech by former Olympic gold and silver medalist and current USSSA Florida Pride player, Natasha Watley. Watley will be featured in an inner city youth event that will be hosted at the Memphis Red Birds stadium and supported by the Memphis RBI program.
For the past two years, the University of Alabama has garnered the first round draft choice. In 2010 the USSSA Florida Pride chose first baseman Charlotte Morgan of the Crimson Tide and in 2011, the NPF Diamonds made pitcher Kelsi Dunne the number one selection. National Pro Fastpitch has held a Draft every year since its inception in 2004.
HISTORY OF NPF COLLEGE DRAFT NUMBER ONE SELECTIONS
2004 Iyhia McMichael – Mississippi State University
2005 Amy Harre – University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale
2006 Cat Osterman – University of Texas
2007 Lindsay Schutzler – University of Tennessee
2008 Katie Burkhart – Arizona State University
2009 Katie Cochran – Arizona State University
2010 Charlotte Morgan – University of Alabama
2011 Kelsi Dunne – University of Alabama
About USSSA Florida Pride:
The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.
About NPF:
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.
About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!
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