Delmarva Now: Professional softball tournament to bring heavy-hitters to Wicomico

Written by Jeremy Cox

SALISBURY — April 27, 2014– Some of the biggest names in women’s softball are heading to Wicomico County next month for a series that organizers hope will lay the foundation for a larger professional sports presence in the area.

The USSSA Pride is scheduled to face the Pennsylvania Rebellion during a May 30-31 series at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. It will not only be the inaugural game of the season for both teams but also the first game ever for the newly formed Rebellion.

“What you’re going to see out on this field is the best players in the world,” said Bill Dowell, the United States Specialty Sports Association’s vice president of fastpitch Thursday at a press conference at the stadium.

The USSSA, a sports governing body based in Kissimmee, Fla., owns the team. Most of its games are played elsewhere, though.

The Pride and Rebellion comprise half of the squads in the four-team National Pro Fastpitch league.

Among the heavy-hitters featured on each roster: Cat Osterman, an Olympic gold medalist as part of the 2004 USA women’s softball team; Kristyn Sandberg, the 2012 NPF rookie of the year; and Monica Abbott, the 2007 collegiate softball player of the year.

Dowell said packed houses at both games would go a long way toward showing league officials that Wicomico can support more professional events. The series is accompanied by a banquet on May 29 and a youth softball tournament with as many as 40 teams playing at area fields.

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!