Jami Lobpries
Kissimmee, FL- July 17, 2014-The USSSA Florida Pride will play two nationally televised games against the Chicago Bandits on CBS Sports Network July 21st and July 22nd. First pitch between the USSSA Pride and Chicago Bandits is set for 7:05 PM (ET) at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex. This series has crucial seeding implications as the Pride are currently two games ahead of the Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) standings. The teams have split their previous two series in the 2014 NPF season.
During the Pride and Bandits series, USSSA is hosting the 2014 USSSA Fastpitch World Series at ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Kissimmee. Teams from across the country in eight different age groups will be competing for the World Series title in their age division. The Pride players will be making appearances and signing autographs throughout the USSSA World Series. Youth fans and teams have a great opportunity to watch and take part in the Pride and Bandits series including the two televised games.
Eric Collins, a veteran play-by-play, and Barbara Jordan, an experienced softball analyst, will cover the televised games on CBS Sports Network. Additional highlights include:
- Remember when Olympian Cat Osterman almost retired after the 2013 NPF season? Osterman is back and better than ever in 2014. Even after off-season hip surgery, the veteran pitcher is a perfect 10-0 with a 0.475 ERA. In 59 innings pitched, she has struck out 95 hitters while only allowing 28 hits and 4 earned runs.
- Another Pride veteran is having a career year in 2014. Third baseman Andrea Duran is hitting a team-leading .416, which ranks second in the NPF behind the Bandit’s Emily Allard. Duran has a team-leading 20 runs scored, 16 RBIs, 2 homeruns, and a NPF best .516 on-base percentage.
- Rookie Madison Shipman hit the ground running in the NPF. The 2014 SEC Player of the Year and Honda Sports Award winner for softball is hitting .383 after 28 career NPF games. Her 5 homeruns and 18 RBIs lead the Pride. Shipman has also played a solid role in the middle infield starting every game at shortstop.
- Fastest show on…dirt? The Pride lineup is loaded with speed in 2014. As a team, the Pride have more stolen bases (44) than the other three NPF teams combined (42). Rookie Breja’e Washington leads the NPF in stolen bases with 11. Sharonda McDonald and Caitlin Lowe are close behind with six swipes a piece.
Earlier this season, the NPF announced an 18 game package with CBS Sports Network, which tripled the league’s previous television coverage. A total of 14 regular season games and four post-season games, including every game in the best-of-three championship series, will be televised this season. CBS Sports Network will televise games on Monday and Tuesday in prime time.
CBS Sports Network is the 24-hour home of CBS Sports and is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
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