Kissimmee, FL- May 26, 2016-The USSSA Florida Pride have named Jeff Ellsworth as part of the 2016 coaching staff. Ellsworth will join Megan Willis and Samantha Ricketts as assistant coach under the guidance of head coach Lonni Alameda.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be part of this organization and the NPF League. To be able to be associated with this squad is a coaching dream come true. The athletes today on day one worked extremely hard and were very professional and I expected nothing less.”
Ellsworth is one of the longest serving members of the Men’s National Team. He has since played in two ISF World Championships, highlighted by a bronze medal in 2009, as well as three Pan American Championships, winning silver in 2006, gold in 2012 and bronze in 2014.
Jeff has played for Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Ontario at the Canadian Championships where he is a six-time all-star outfielder (2004-2006, 2010, 2012, 2014) and was twice named Top Batter in 2008 and 2014.
“I hope that I can assist the players and take their games to the next level. In this great sport you are always learning, it’s a never ending learning experience so I hope I can share what I’ve learned over my career and pass on to these great athletes.”
Jeff will work closely with the team and fine tune the fundamentals of the game. With head coach Lonni Alameda currently in super regional contention, it is up to the three assistants to fill in for Alameda and get our athletes ready for the 2016 season.
“Personally, my goal is to help create an environment that is fun and challenging so that athletes want to come back to the park day after day. When the fun factor is there in my experience that is when you get the best out of your athletes.”
Watch Jeff and the Pride this summer as they kick of the new season June 10th against the NPF’s newest expansion team the Scrap Yard Dawgs. The Pride will be looking to capture their 5th NPF regular season title and 4th NPF Championship Series title this summer.
Keep up to date with your Pride on all of our social media platforms and remember go Pride! (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
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 (NPF): National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2002, provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional career in diamond sports beyond their collegiate success. The 2016 NPF season will be televised on CBSSports Network. Coverage includes the NPF College Draft presented by Bownet on Thur., April 14, followed by 23 regular-season games, a Championship Series Preview Special and the 2016 NPF Championship Series. The NPF recently announced that the Scrap Yard Dawgs, located in The Woodlands, Texas, will join the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Dallas Charge, Pennsylvania Rebellion and USSSA Pride for the 2016 season. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, representing the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball.