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2000 Women's Pro Softball League season

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2000 WPSL Season
LeagueWomen's Professional Softball League
Sportsoftball
DurationJune 19, 2000 - August 19, 2000
Number of teams4
TV partner(s)ESPN2
2000 WPSL Draft
Top draft pickAmanda Scott P
Fresno State
Picked byOhio Pride
WPSL Championship Series
ChampionsFlorida Wahoos
  Runners-upOhio Pride
WPSL seasons
← 1999
2001 →

The 2000 Women's Professional Softball League season was the fourth season of professional women's fastpitch softball for the league named Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL). It was the WPSL's final season until the league relaunched in 2004 under the name National Pro Fastpitch. In 1997 and 1998, WPSL operated under the name Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF).

Teams, cities and stadiums

Team City Stadium
Akron Racers Akron, Ohio Firestone Stadium
Ohio Pride
Florida Wahoos Plant City, FL Plant City Stadium
Tampa Bay FireStix

Milestones and Events

In October 1999, the WPSL announced a restructuring plan to consolidate the league and to facilitate a tour between the league's teams and the USA Softball Women's National Team. The plan was to take the 1999 roster of teams ( Akron Racers, Carolina Diamonds, Durham Dragons, Georgia Pride, Tampa Bay FireStix, and Virginia Roadsters) and reduce it to two teams in Ohio and two teams in Florida. The tour of exhibition games against team USA was called "From Central Park to Sydney" (the 2000 Olympics were played in Sydney, Australia) and ran from May to September.[1]

The WPSL's two Florida teams were revealed as the Tampa Bay Firestix and Florida Wahoos, and the Ohio teams as the Akron Racers and Ohio Pride. These locations in Florida and Ohio were intended to be developed as national training centers for fastpitch softball.[2]

On October 14, 1999 WPSL suspended operations of the Georgia Pride, Durham Dragons, Carolina Diamonds, and Virginia Roadsters. The contracted Roadsters' players were assigned to the newly created Ohio Pride of Akron, Ohio. The contracted Georgia Pride players were assigned to the expansion Florida Wahoos of Plant City, Fla. Tampa Bay FireStix relocated to Plant City Stadium in Plant City, Fla.[3] The players of the Dragons and Diamonds became available for selection in the 2000 WPSL draft.

Player Acquisition

Player Drafts

Further information: 2000 WPSL Draft

WPSL held Draft Day 2000 on December 4 at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Petersburg, FL during the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention. Three drafts were held:[4]

  • The 2000 Elite/Supplemental Draft selected players from a pool of players on the rosters of the Dragons and Diamonds, 1999 USA Softball Olympic Trial and Olympic Festival invitees who had completed their collegiate eligibility, and WPSL players who were not on their teams' protected list. The Florida Wahoos selected Fresno State shortstop Nina Lindenburg as the first elite/supplemental pick.
  • The 2000 Senior Draft selected from collegiate senior fastpitch players. The Ohio Pride chose Fresno State pitcher Amanda Scott as the first senior pick.
  • The 2001 National Team Draft drew from the 2000 USA Olympic roster, with the hope the players selected would play in the WPSL in 2001. (However, the WPSL suspended play before the 2001 season.) The Akron Racers selected 1996 Olympic Gold Medal-winning pitcher Lisa Fernandez as the first overall National Team pick.

Central Park to Sydney tour

As part of the run-up to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, a nine-city tour, called “Central Park to Sydney Tour,” was scheduled between WPSL teams and the USA national softball team. USA pitcher Lisa Fernandez pitched five straight perfect games, and in one of those games she struck out all 21 batters.[5]

Tour schedule and results

DATE TEAMS STADIUM LOCATION[6]
Friday, June 2 USA Softball 1, Florida Wahoos 0[7] Jim Frost Stadium[8] Chattanooga, TN
Friday, June 9 USA Softball 1, Akron Racers 0[9] Firestone Stadium Akron, OH
Sunday, June 25 USA Softball 1, Tampa Bay FireStix 0[10] Plant City Stadium Plant City, FL
Saturday, July 1 USA Softball 7, Ohio Pride 0[11] Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field Stratford, CT
Sunday, July 16 USA Softball 2, Akron Racers 1[12] Husky Stadium Seattle, WA
Sunday, July 23 USA Softball 2, Florida Wahoos 0[13] Bulldog Diamond
(renamed Margie Wright Stadium in 2014)		 Fresno, CA
Thursday, July 27 USA Softball 2, Ohio Pride 0[14] ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Oklahoma City, OK
Saturday, August 12 USA Softball 3, Tampa Bay FireStix 1[15] O'Neil Park Bloomington, IL
Saturday, September 2 USA Softball 1, WPSL All-Stars 0[16] Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium Honolulu, HI
Sunday, September 3 USA Softball 1, WPSL All-Stars 0[17]
Sunday, September 3 USA Softball 10, WPSL All-Stars 0
(ended in 6th inning due to 'mercy' rule)[18]

League standings

Source:[1]

Team GP W L Pct. GB
Florida Wahoos 32 24 8 .750 -
Ohio Pride 32 16 16 .500 8
Akron Racers 32 15 17 .469 9
Tampa Bay FireStix 32 9 23 .281 13

WPSL Championship

The 2000 WPSL Championship Series was held at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo on August 25 and 26. The top two WPSL teams met in a best-of-three series to determine the champion.[19]

2000 WPSL Championship Series
Florida Wahoos defeat Ohio Pride 2–0[20]
Game Date Score Series
(FL–OH)
1 August 25 Florida Wahoos 3, Ohio Pride 0 1–0
2 August 26 Florida Wahoos 1, Ohio Pride 0 2–0
2000 NPF Championship Series MVP[21]
Player Club
Steph Klaviter Florida Wahoos

Statistical Leaders

WOMEN'S PRO SOFTBALL LEAGUE LEADERS (THROUGH GAMES OF 8/19/00)[22]

BATTING TOP 10 (MINIMUM 76 PLATE APPEARANCES)

BATTER TEAM AVG G AB R H HR RBI
Patti Benedict Florida Wahoos .330 31 106 11 35 1 7
Nina Lindenberg Florida Wahoos .311 32 90 12 28 3 6
Julie Smith Ohio Pride .289 30 97 10 28 0 4
Jamie Foutch Ohio Pride .284 32 95 12 27 5 13
Danielle Cox Akron Racers .275 29 69 11 19 0 2
Kellyn Tate Akron Racers .274 30 84 8 23 1 6
Julie Crandall Florida Wahoos .238 29 80 3 19 0 3
Kim Maher Florida Wahoos .217 30 92 7 20 1 10
Dana Degan Ohio Pride .216 26 74 5 16 1 4
Kendall Richards Florida Wahoos .214 29 84 9 18 0 8

HOME RUNS

PLAYER TEAM HR
Jamie Foutch Ohio Pride 5
Marty Laudato Tampa Bay FireStix 4
Nina Lindenberg Florida Wahoos 3
Several Players Tied at 2

RBI

PLAYER TEAM RBI
Jamie Foutch Ohio Pride 13
Soia Maumausolo Florida Wahoos 11
Kim Maher Florida Wahoos 10
Julie Adams Ohio Pride 9
Marty Laudato Tampa Bay FireStix 9

STOLEN BASES

PLAYER TEAM SB
Danielle Cox Akron Racers 9
Traci Conrad Akron Racers 7
Julie Smith Ohio Pride 7
Barbara Jordan Tampa Bay FireStix 6
Several Players Tied at 5

TEAM BATTING

TEAM AVG AB R H HR BB SO SB CS
Florida Wahoos .209 847 68 177 8 51 111 16 7
Ohio Pride .196 838 65 164 11 44 165 23 8
Akron Racers .180 821 53 148 7 47 226 35 14
Tampa Bay FireStix .139 779 36 108 8 63 187 16 9

TEAM PITCHING

TEAM W L ERA H CG SHO SV HR BB SO
Florida Wahoos 24 8 0.85 131 28 15 0 6 52 212
Akron Racers 15 17 0.99 158 18 6 3 13 60 149
Ohio Pride 16 16 1.32 141 21 8 3 7 56 203
Tampa Bay FireStix 9 23 1.50 167 25 3 0 8 37 125

PITCHING TOP 10 (MINIMUM 32 IP)

PITCHER TEAM W-L ERA IP H BB SO
Steph Klaviter Florida Wahoos 10- 2 0.25 84 31 11 68
Amy Kyler Akron Racers 3- 5 0.83 68 43 22 60
Liza Brown Akron Racers 3- 3 0.89 47 27 11 29
Sarah Dawson Akron Racers 6- 5 0.92 76 49 15 41
Kaci Clark Florida Wahoos 8- 3 0.94 82 46 27 77
Brandee McArthur Ohio Pride 6- 7 0.98 107 69 17 87
Monica Triner Tampa Bay FireStix 3-10 1.09 96 74 9 44
Heather Compton Ohio Pride 7- 3 1.34 68 35 24 81
Desarie Knipfer Florida Wahoos 6- 3 1.44 73 54 14 67
Carla Brookbank Akron Racers 3- 4 1.44 49 39 12 19

WINS

PITCHER TEAM W
Steph Klaviter Florida Wahoos 10
Kaci Clark Florida Wahoos 8
Heather Compton Ohio Pride 7
Several Players Tied at 6

SAVES

PITCHER TEAM SV
Liza Brown Akron Racers 2
Carla Brookbank Akron Racers 1
Heather Compton Ohio Pride 1
Holly Killion Ohio Pride 1
Brandee McArthur Ohio Pride 1

STRIKEOUTS

PITCHER TEAM SO
Brandee McArthur Ohio Pride 87
Heather Compton Ohio Pride 81
Kaci Clark Florida Wahoos 77
Steph Klaviter Florida Wahoos 68
Desarie Knipfer Florida Wahoos 67

Annual awards

Source:[23]

Award Player Team Note
Most Valuable Player Patti Benedict Florida Wahoos
Hitter of the Year Patti Benedict Florida Wahoos
Home Run Champion[24] Jaime Foutch Ohio Pride 5 HR
Pitcher of the Year Steph Klaviter Florida Wahoos league leader in wins and ERA
Defensive Player of the Year Julie Smith Ohio Pride only committed two errors
Coach of the Year[25] Cindy Bristow Florida Wahoos regular-season record of 24-8 (.750), berth in the 2000 WPSL Championship Series.

WPSL All-Star Team

2000 WPSL All-Star Team roster

2000 WPSL ALL-STAR ROSTER[26]
Player Position WPSL Team College Hometown
Julie Adams 3B Ohio Pride UCLA Cypress, CA
Patti Benedict OF Florida Wahoos Michigan Lamont, FL
Heather Compton P Ohio Pride UCLA Santa Maria, CA
Danielle Cox OF Akron Racers Florida State Anniston, AL
Julie Crandall C Florida Wahoos UNLV San Jose, CA
Dana Degen DP Ohio Pride Hawaii La Mesa, CA
Jaime Foutch OF/1B Ohio Pride Oklahoma State Edmond, OK
Barbara Jordan OF Tampa Bay FireStix CSNU Granada Hills, CA
Steph Klaviter P Florida Wahoos Minnesota New Ulm, MN
Desarie Knipfer P Florida Wahoos CP - SLO Scotts Valley, CA
Amy Kyler P Akron Racers Cleveland State Marshallville, OH
Nina Lindenberg SS Florida Wahoos Fresno State Anaheim, CA
Kim Maher OF Florida Wahoos Fresno State Oakland, CA
Kendall Richards 3B Florida Wahoos Texas A&M Eugene, OR
Julie Smith 2B Ohio Pride Fresno State Glendora, CA
Kellyn Tate OF Akron Racers Michigan Chesterfield, MO

Head Coach: Cindy Bristow, Florida Wahoos

The USA Olympic softball team played a doubleheader against each NPF All-Star Team on July 13. The Olympians swept the games beating the East 5-0, and edging the West 5-3 in 9 innings.[27] The West All-Stars beat the East by a score of 1-0 on July 14. Nancy Evans was named the Most Valuable Player.[28]

References

  1. ^ ""From Central Park to Sydney"". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2000. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  2. ^ "WPSL teams select world's top fastpitch talent". ProSoftball.com. 4 December 1999. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  3. ^ "NPF History". ProFastpitch.com. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 23 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) Holds "Draft Day 2000"". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Famous Softball Players - Lisa Fernandez". SoftballPerformance.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  6. ^ "WPSL Central Park to Sydney Tour". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  7. ^ "USA Softball Women's National Team edges Florida Wahoos 1-0 in "Central Park to Sydney"". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Florida Wahoos vs USA Softball Box Score". USASoftball.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  9. ^ "USA Softball Women's National Team tops Akron Racers in game two of "Central Park to Sydney"". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  10. ^ "Tampa Bay FireStix fall to USA Softball Women's National Team 1-0 in game three of "Central Park to Sydney"". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  11. ^ "USA Softball slugs three home runs in 7-0 defeat of the Ohio Pride in game four of "Central Park to Sydney"". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Lori Harrigan leads the USA Softball Women's National Team past the Akron Racers 2-1 despite Liza Brown's homer". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Sheila Douty's two-run single gives USA Softball a 2-0 "Central Park to Sydney" victory over the Florida Wahoos". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Stacey Nuveman's two-run home run gives the women's national team a seventh consecutive victory over the WPSL". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Seventh-inning rally falls short as Williams leads the USA Softball past the Tampa Bay FireStix 3-1". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  16. ^ "O'Brien-Amico gives the USA Softball Women's National Team a 1-0 win over the WPSL All-Star Team". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Lori Harrigan and Sheila Douty lead USA Softball past the WPSL All-Star Team 1-0 in game one Sunday". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  18. ^ "USA Softball Women's National Team completes three-game sweep of the WPSL All-Star Team". Prosoftball.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  19. ^ "Florida Wahoos will battle the Ohio Pride in the fourth-annual WPSL Championship Series". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  20. ^ "2000 WPSL Season" (PDF). ProFastpitch.com. 26 August 2000. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "Headlines". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  22. ^ "Women's Pro Softball League Standings and Highlights". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  23. ^ "Headlines". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  24. ^ "Ohio Pride outfielder Jaime Foutch captures 2000 WPSL Home Run Championship with five blasts". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  25. ^ "Florida Wahoos skipper Cindy Bristow wins Women's Pro Softball League Coach of the Year Award". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  26. ^ "2000 WPSL All-Star Team roster". ProSoftball.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  27. ^ "NPF All-Stars Put on Good Display But Fall Short". OurSportsCentral.com. 14 July 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  28. ^ "Bolding's Sacrifice Fly Sends the West to a 1-0 Win; Nancy Evans named the game's most valuable Player". OurSportsCentral.com. 14 July 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2015.

See also

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