The USSSA Florida Pride Signs Louisville Graduate Melissa Roth

The USSSA Florida Pride Signs Louisville Graduate Melissa Roth

Kissimmee, Fla. – The USSSA Florida Pride is excited to announce the signing of recent University of Louisville graduate Melissa Roth to their 2010 roster. Roth was picked up by the Pride during the 2010 National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) draft, held in Kissimmee, Fla. on Feb.10, 2010 as a first round draft pick and third pick overall. Now having completed her collegiate career, Roth has officially made her move into the professional league.“We are very excited to have Melissa Roth joining the Pride for the 2010 season,” said Don DeDonatis, CEO and chairman of the board of USSSA and general manager of the team. “With her proven track record as a catcher, we believe she will not only be a great addition to the team as a whole, but will complement our already strong pitching staff.”

While at the University of Louisville, Melissa Roth certainly left her mark on the softball field. The catcher started all 62 games her freshman season, and continued her reign throughout her sophomore and junior years. As a junior, Roth set school records with both her batting average (.444) and slugging percentage (.870). She was selected to the USA Softball Pan American Qualifier team, as well as being named the 2009 Big East Player of the Year. During the 2010 regular season Roth had a .405 batting average and 1.345 OPS. She also ranked fifth in the nation in stolen bases and her slugging percentage of .850 ranked her ninth in the nation.

The Pride’s 2010 NPF season will kick off June 9 in Lubbock, Texas when the team faces the Chicago Bandits at Rocky Johnson Field, home of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The opening game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. local time. For more information on the Pride, visit www.dev.usssapride.com.

The USSSA Florida Pride joined the NPF as a franchise Team in November of 2009, operated by Florida Pride LLC. USSSA managed the Pride Team during 2009, culminating their inaugural season with a second place finish in the Championship Series. USSSA Florida Pride is sponsored by USSSA, the world’s largest amateur sports association, and is headquartered in Kissimmee, Florida.

 

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!