Kissimmee, FL – June 9, 2016- The USSSA Pride open the 2016 season this Friday, June 10, in Conroe, TX against the newly-established Scrap Yard Dawgs. The Scrap Yard Dawgs will host the Pride in a four-day, four-game series at the Scrap Yard Sports Complex.
The Pride are coming off their second-consecutive regular season championship and their seventh-consecutive appearance in the NPF Championship Series. After losing to the Chicago Bandits in the 2015 Championship Series, the Pride are looking to secure their third post-season title in four years.
The Pride return both the 2015 NPF Player of the Year, Kelly Kretschman, and 2015 Rookie of the Year, Shelby Pendley, as well as four members of the 2015 All-NPF team: Kretschman, Pendley, Jordan Taylor and Megan Wiggins.
Series Schedule:
Friday, June 10th 8:30 PM (EST)
Saturday, June 11th 8:00 PM (EST)
Sunday, June 12th 3:00 PM (EST)
Monday, June 13th 8:30 PM (EST)
Pride players to watch:
- Kelly Kretschman: The veteran NPF player and reigning Player of the Year enters the 2016 season following the best professional season of her career. Kretschman finished the 2015 season with a .338 batting average, seven home runs, 22 RBI and she was a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts. She finished in the overall top five of eight offensive categories, including stolen bases, total bases and sacrifice flies (second); total hits (third); batting average, slugging percentage and runs scored (fourth); and home runs (fifth).
- Shelby Pendley: The reigning Rookie of the Year enters her second professional season following a season in which she lead all NPF rookies in eight offensive categories, topping the list in hits, slugging percentage, home runs and RBIs. Pendley ranked second overall in the NPF in doubles (10) and fifth overall in slugging percentage (.519).
- Jordan Taylor: In 2015 Taylor was named an All-NPF pitcher, her first nod in four years as a professional. Her 11 saves set an NPF record, and her 0.51 ERA was second only to Monica Abbott.
- Megan Wiggins: Wiggins ended her debut season with the Pride leading the offense with 29 RBI and 7 home runs (tied with Kelly Kretschman). In 140 at-bats, Wiggins totaled 4o hits, 68 total bases, and 5 doubles.
About the Scrap Yard Dawgs:
The Dawgs made headlines and history before the start of the 2016 season by signing Chicago Bandits ace Monica Abbott to a $1 million contract. Her contract is the NPF’s first contract of the million-dollar caliber. The Dawgs, new to the NPF in 2016, also acquired sister pitchers Ivy Renfroe and Ellen Renfroe Reed, both former Vols from the University of Tennessee. Ivy came to the Dawgs from the Akron Racers with three years of professional experience after being drafted in 2013. Ellen arrives on the scene with the Dawgs with two years of professional experience after being drafted by the Bandits in 2014. Players acquired from the Pride include standout shortstop Madison Shipman, Breja’e Washington and Brigette Del Ponte.
TICKET INFO
As a promotion for the 2016 home opener, on behalf of the Scrap Yard Dawgs, fans can enjoy FREE ADMISSION to the Pride-Dawgs series. Parking fees still apply.
BROADCAST INFO
Subscribers can view all four games of the Pride-Scrap Yard Dawgs series on NPFTV via profastpitch.com.
LIVE STATS
Live stats links for this weekend’s games can be found on the NPF schedule page.
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
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: 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.
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 CBS Sports 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 Florida Pride for the 2016 season. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, representing the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball.