Pro Softball News: National Pro Fastpitch Suspends Operations… Future in Doubt

It’s not a huge surprise, admittedly, but it’s sad nonetheless that it appears fastpitch softball players have lost one major option when it comes to playing softball post-college.

The National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league posted on its webpage today the stark headline saying simply: NPF Suspends League Operations

Here’s the entirety of the text on the league’s site:

National Pro Fastpitch is suspending operations effective immediately. The cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, necessitated by the combination of the COVID pandemic and preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, has effectively shut off all sources of league revenue and necessitated the termination of league staff and other essential services. At this point, resumption of activity is impossible to predict.

As the league was shutdown over the last two years, Athletes Unlimited has taken over for the NPF as the “pro” alternative and even one of the long-time teams in the NPF, the Chicago Bandits, had acknowledged as much this week:

Good News…
We don’t have to wait to see world class 🥎 players compete at the highest level. THANK YOU @AUProSports for providing the opportunity for the most elite softball players to play, fans to watch & little girls to dream! Looking forward to the pro season in Aug & Sept pic.twitter.com/ullsqEAJd0

— Chicago Bandits (@Chicago_Bandits) July 29, 2021

The NPF was a revival in 2004 of the former Women’s Pro Softball League (WBSL) founded in 1997, but it was only able to last four years before it was shut down.

With this looking to be the final blow to the league’s continuation, it will likely close out with five official teams:

1. Aussie Peppers, based out of North Mankato, Minnesota
2. California Commotion, a new franchise announced but not able to take the field due to COVID
3. Canadian Wild, out of Marion, Illinois
4. Chicago Bandits, headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois
5. Cleveland Comets, a traveling team that was primarily filled with players from China

Previously there had been teams that competed as the Dallas Charge, USSSA Pride (Florida), Scrap Yard Dawgs (Texas), the Pennsylvania Rebellion, the NY/NJ Comets and several others.

Many of the biggest names in softball history played in the league including such stars as Monica Abbott, Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Sarah Pauly, Natasha Watley, Kelly Kretschman, Crystl Bustos, Jessica Mendoza, Andrea Duran, Megan Wiggins, Shelby Pendley, Keilani Ricketts, Sierra Romero and dozens more.