Kissimmee, FL—April 5, 2016-The USSSA Pride will host home series on five university campuses throughout the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) season. The venues are home to some of college softball’s most competitive and prestigious programs and represent schools from three separate conferences: SEC’s Auburn and Mississippi State; ACC’s Florida State and Notre Dame; and Big Ten’s Michigan.
“It is a priority for the USSSA Pride to expose as many young players as possible to the incredibly talented athletes in the NPF”, commented Pride General Manager, Don DeDonatis. “We’re very excited to work with these universities and bring NPF action to college communities. Every one of these universities have done a great job building a local fan base during the college seasons. Now those fans have an opportunity to watch their favorite college players compete at the professional level. We believe it’s great for the sport.”
The 2016 season marks the first time NPF competition will be played on any of the five campuses. In previous years, the Pride hosted games at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Florida International (FIU), Louisiana State University (LSU), and University of Missouri.
The three game series at Michigan’s Alumni Field will mark a homecoming for current Pride pitcher Jordan Taylor who played for the maize and blue from 2008 to 2011. Newly announced Pride Head Coach, Lonni Alameda, will have a chance to visit her home field for the past eight seasons, when the Pride host a three game series at JoAnne Graf Field in Tallahassee. In addition, the single game Pride/Racers match-up in August will return Akron’s Laura Winter to her alma mater of Notre Dame and Melissa Cook Stadium.
“It is very exciting to host professional softball at collegiate facilities,” said Pride Head Coach, Lonnie Alameda. “So many of these venues have such a strong tradition and following. The NPF can continue to build and grow using the foundation these schools have built. This is a huge plus for the League and for Fastpitch softball in general,”
2016 Pride Regular Season Competition at College Softball Venues
Date Opponent University Location
June 17 vs. PA Rebellion Mississippi State Starkville, MS
June 18 vs. PA Rebellion Auburn Auburn, AL
June 27 vs. Akron Racers Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
June 28 vs. Chicago Bandits Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
June 29 vs. Chicago Bandits Michigan Ann Arbor
July 31 vs. Scrap Yard Dawgs Florida State Tallahassee, FL
Aug 1 vs. Scrap Yard Dawgs Florida State Tallahassee, FL
Aug 2 vs. Scrap Yard Dawgs Florida State Tallahassee, FL
Aug. 10 vs. Akron Racers Notre Dame South Bend, IN
The 2016 NPF Championship Series will also be played on a university campus for the first time in league history. The University of Alabama Rhoads Stadium is set to host the series August 19-23rd in Tuscaloosa.
Information on tickets for each regular season location will be announced at a later date. The 2016 USSSA Pride season kicks off June 10th in Conroe, TX against the Scrap Yard Dawgs. For all information, check out the Pride’s website at www.dev.usssapride.com and follow the Pride on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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 USSSA: USSSA is 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.
About National Pro Fastpitch: National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. 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.