Pride Return to Alabama to Play Wallace State Tonight

Ceo, Kretschman, Tysarczyk, DiSalvatore, Del Ponte, Kamekona, & Taylor will all be playing against Wallace State tonight
Ceo, Kretschman, Tysarczyk, DiSalvatore, Del Ponte, Kamekona, & Taylor take the field tonight vs. Wallace State

Kissimmee, FL-November 11, 2014Tonight, the USSSA Florida Pride take on Wallace State Community College at Heritage Park in Cullman, AL. First pitch is set for 7:00 PM between the Pride and Lady Lions. This marks the third stop on the Pride’s 2014 Fall Tour. The Pride dropped the first contest to the University of Georgia 8-7 on November 6th before beating Georgia Tech last Saturday 6-1. Preceding tonight’s game with the Lady Lions, the Pride will host a clinic from 12:00-4:00 PM at Heritage Park.

The Pride are coming off their third National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) championship in team history while the Wallace State Lady Lions are one of the premiere softball programs in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Wallace State was the NJCAA National Champions in 2013 and 2008.

“I think it is awesome that Wallace State gets to play the USSSA Pride. Our players went to the Championship in Hoover [Alabama] to watch them play in August,” said Wallace State head coach Jayne Clem.

The 2014 NPF Championship was hosted in Hoover, Alabama this year in order to capitalize on the growing support of fastpitch in the state. From the increase in youth participation to the growing crowds at college programs in Alabama [the University of Alabama is among the nation’s leaders in home attendance], the Pride and Wallace State hope to see the same support at their game tonight.

“Softball in the state of Alabama is growing by leaps and bounds. To have the Pride come to Cullman will be very big. We will be playing the game at Heritage Park in Cullman because we think it will be a huge event,” said Clem.

During the 2014 NPF season, the Pride finished as regular season and post-season champions. Andrea Duran took home NPF Player of the Year honors, Cat Osterman won NPF Pitcher of the Year, Madison Shipman was named the NPF Rookie of the Year, and Breja’e Washington was awarded the Golden Spikes Award as the NPF’s top base stealer. Additionally, veterans Caitlin Lowe and Natasha Watley joined Duran, Osterman, and Shipman on the 2014 All-NPF team.

Pride players participating in the game against Wallace State include NPF Player of the Year Andrea Duran, Olympic gold and silver medalist Kelly Kretschman, 2013 NPF Offensive Player of the Year GiOnna DiSalvatore, and the 2014 NCAA Batting Champion Courtney Ceo. Other Pride players include Brigette Del Ponte (Arizona), Amanda Kamekona (UCLA), Alexa Peterson (Oregon), Kristyn Sandberg (Georgia), Jordan Taylor (Michigan), Chelsea Thomas (Missouri) and Cassie Tysarczyk (Texas A&M).

Following the game against Wallace State, the remaining games on the Fall Tour include:

  • November 12th   vs. UAB                 7:00 PM (Birmingham, AL)
  • November 13th   vs. Mercer             7:00 PM (Macon, GA)
  • November 15th   vs. Florida State  6:00 PM (Tallahassee, FL)

Tickets for the game will be available at the gate or to purchase tickets in advance fans can CLICK HERE or email Coach Clem at [email protected]. To follow all of the action, visit www.dev.usssapride.com or follow the Pride on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #PrideFallTour.

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!