Kissimmee, FL– June 28, 2015- The USSSA Pride continue their season this Monday, June 29th in Rosemont, IL to play their first 2015 regular season series against the Chicago Bandits. The Chicago Bandits will be hosting the Pride in a four game series at the Ballpark at Rosemont from June 29th –July 2nd. This is the sixth series of the 2015 season for the Pride and the first facing the 2015 Chicago Bandits.
The Pride are coming off a three-game series played in York and Lancaster, PA against the Pennsylvania Rebellion. The Pride took games one and two of the series in extra innings. Game three was postponed until July 10th due to inclement weather. Game three of the series will be made up as a double-header in Washington, PA at 6:05 PM (ET). The USSSA Pride are now 8-4 on the season while the Chicago Bandits are 13-4 as they face each other for first time this season.
First pitch is set for 8:05 PM (ET) all four nights (Monday, June 29th –Thursday, July 2nd). Stay tuned for where you can watch or listen live to the series against the Bandits.
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Pride Players to Watch:
- Jordan Taylor has 3 saves under her beltwith 19 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched. She leads the Pride pitching staff in ERA at .66.
- Brigette Del Ponte is 2nd on the Pride in slugging percentage and on-base percentage at .739 and .385 respectively. Three out of seven of her season hits are home runs.
- Andrea Duran, the 2014 Player of the Year leads the Pride in drawn walks at 7 and 23 assists. It just goes to show that Duran is a threat defensively and offensively.
- GiOnna DiSalvatore is pushing a .313 batting average so far this season and 10 hits, thirdbest on the Pride.
Chicago Players to Watch:
- Amber Patton is 2nd in the NPF with a batting average 0f .420. She leads the Bandits with 13 runs scored and is second with 27 total bases on the season so far. Patton also has 4 doubles on the season.
- Brittany Cervantes is the defending 2014 NPF Homerun Champion (12) and currently leads the Bandit’s with 13 RBI, first in the NPF . Cervantes is currently 3rd in the NPF with a .405 batting average and has four home runs on the season, tied with Kretschman of the Pride and Schlopy of the Racers.
- Monica Abbott has a 1.33 ERA and totals 35 strikeouts, second only behind Cat Osterman of the Pride. Abbott leads the Bandit’s pitching staff with has a 3-0 record on the season.
Fun Facts
- Four former Oklahoma players will be featured in this series. Three from the Pride Roster (Lauren Chamberlain, Keilani Ricketts, and Shelby Pendley) and one from the Bandits roster (Michelle Gascoigne). All four of these Sooners played on the same Oklahoma softball roster that won the Woman’s College World Series in 2013 against Tennessee that featured Madison Shipman on the 2013 WCWS runner-up roster.
- Lacey Waldrop of the Chicago Bandits is the first Florida State player in history to be drafted to the National Pro Fastpitch.
- The Ballpark at Rosemont, the only stadium in the country built for a women’s professional team.
For tickets to the series visit dev.usssapride.com or chicagobandits.com. You can also purchasetickets in person at the box office of the Ballpark at Rosemont located at 27 Jennie Finch Way in Rosemont, IL or over the phone with a Chicago Bandits ticket representative by calling the box office at 877-722-6348.
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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.