The Top 10 Softball Stories of 2023: #7… Pro Softball

We continue our list of the Top 10 Softball Stories of 2023...  the list will run daily through Jan. 1, 2024, when we’ll present the top story of the year. The day after New Year’s Day 2024, we’ll recap the Top 10 one last time, as well as note others that were also considered for the list.

In order to compile this Top 10 list, we considered what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year and which news headlines or feature story or human interest spotlights pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball caught our attention.

Each day, you can also read in full one of the articles we originally published pertaining to that day’s topic.

Previous Top 10 Softball Stories of 2023

• #10… Addisen Fisher, Why She’s No. 1 in the 2024 Class & A Future UCLA Bruin Star
• #9… Alexia Carrasquillo, Youngest Softball Commit Ever, Preaches “Knows Your Own Worth”
• #8… The Human Experiences (The Painful, Inspirational & Unusual)

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Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #7… Pro Softball

Pro softball has had a sporadic history over the last quarter century.

The Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL) began in 1997 but shut down five years later. The National Professional Fastpitch (NPFI) league started three years later and lasted 17 years before closing down in 2021 due to COVID.

In 2020, Athletes’ Unlimited began with softball and soon would follow with volleyball and lacrosse in 2021, and basketball and AUX softball in 2022, the latter of which is like the regular softball season but has two weeks of competition split amongst three series (18 games).

In 2022, the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) league was created with 2023 being the inaugural season.

These were the two pro softball leagues that took the field over the summer of ’23 with one awarding a title to an individual player and the other a team title… here’s who won each:

1. Athletes’ Unlimited, which–in Season #4–ran from AU Softball went from July 30 to August 27 with Odicci Alexander crowned as this year’s champion. 
2. The inaugural season of Women’s Professional Fastpitch which concluded on August 16 with the Texas Smoke taking home the trophy (see the complete article below).

Once upon a time in pro football, there were two leagues: the AFL and the NFL and in 1966 the two merged to create what today is the billion-dollar National Football League (NFL).

Will pro softball ever consolidate into one major league? And will the fastpitch softball ever come close to what its fellow diamond sport, baseball, has been for over 150 years?

Time will tell but the good news is the are opportunities for standout softball players to compete post-college… nd as long as there’s that (pro) dream for young girls to aspire to, we’ll be in support of whatever the pro softball game looks like in the future.

Now, if only we could get the players the six and seven-figure pro contracts that mens’ sports are getting… one step at a time, though!

Be sure to scroll down to below this feature article to see more stories told this year on pro softball…

— Brentt Eads

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Originally published August 16, 2023

Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF): Inaugural Season Ends with Texas Smoke as Champs

The inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) league wrapped up on Sunday as the Texas Smoke defeated the USSSA Pride 14-2 behind pitcher Autumn Pease—the league’s Pitcher of the Year—and Janae Jefferson—the league’s Player of the Year to take home the Schiffhauer trophy.

The Smoke actually trailed 1-0 going into the 5^th inning but exploded for seven runs and then scored one in the 6^th inning and six more in the top of the 6^th to seal the victory.

The winning team had four home runs in the title-deciding Game 2, a pair of them from Madysen Grimm, who went 3-for-4 and also drove in four runs, and solo shots by Shelbi Suneri (2-for-3 with a walk) and Alyssa Rivera.

Just still not over these monster mashes from the final game of the season😳💣@thetexassmoke pic.twitter.com/fGwsQfrXhD

— Women's Professional Fastpitch (@wprofastpitch) August 15, 2023

Pease showed why she was the WPF’s top pitcher as she went all seven innings and gave up five hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Jefferson capped off a great 2023 campaign by going 4-for-4 in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship including a home run late in the contest to give the Smoke the 5-4 win. The former Texas Longhorn star then went 1-for-4 with a walk in the championship-clinching Game 2.

She was named the Championship Series MVP and in her team’s five playoff games hit .500 on nine hits and finished the season with a 4.38 batting average and an on-base percentage of .580—both of which lead the league.

Here’s the complete game for those who’d like watch it:

Texas Smoke Player Roster

• AnaMarie Bruni (OF)
• Sahvanna Jaquish (C/IF)
• Charla Echols (IN)
• Marta Gasparotto (C)
• Madysen Grimm (IF)
• Jordan Dail (LHP)
• Ciara Bryan (OF)
• Morgan Howe (OF)
• Janae Jefferson (UT)
• Alyssa Rivera (OF)
• Autumn Pease (P)
• Samantha Show (P)
• Shelbi Suneri (P/UT)

Texas Smoke Coaching Staff & Management

• Head Coach: Tori Tyson
• Assistant Coach: Monique White
• Pitching Coach: Cat Tarvin
• Owner: Brandon Phillips
• General Manager: Eric Mays
• Assistant General Manager: Courtney Hawkins
• Assistant to General Manager: Sarah Pauly

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Last week, the league also honored players who received All-WPF Team recognition as well as individual honors… here’s a report of the winners:

Recap: 2023 WPF Awards Night

Published Aug. 9, 2023; click HERE to read the original article

Oxford, Ala. – The first-ever Women’s Professional Fastpitch Awards Night was hosted against the breathtaking backdrop of the Talladega Superspeedway in partnership with the City of Oxford, Alabama and the host-team, Smash It Sports Vipers.

This year’s event showcased the league’s best and brightest stars who have made significant contributions throughout the season.

The All-WPF team consisted of:

• eight (8) position players (5 infield, 3 outfield),
• four (4) pitchers,
• seven (7) at-large selections

The individual awards consisted of Coaching Staff of the Year, Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Stolen Base Leader.

All-WPF Team Recipients

• Fa Leilua, OKC Spark – INF
• Janae Jefferson, Texas Smoke – INF
• Ali Aguilar, USSSA Pride – INF
• Charla Echols, Texas Smoke – INF
• Sydney Sherrill, OKC Spark – INF
• Michelle Moultrie, OKC Spark – OF
• Morgan Howe, Texas Smoke – OF
• Kayla Kowalik, USSSA Pride – OF
• Sam Show, Texas Smoke – P
• Autumn Pease, Texas Smoke – P
• Ally Carda, USSSA Pride – P
• Hope Trautwein, USSSA Pride – P
• Baylee Klingler, Texas Smoke – AT-LARGE
• Jocelyn Alo, OKC Spark – AT-LARGE
• Makena Smith, Smash It Sports Vipers – AT-LARGE
• SilentRain Espinoza, USSSA Pride – AT-LARGE
• Suzy Brookshire, Smash It Sports Vipers – AT-LARGE
• Donnie Gobourne, OKC Spark – AT-LARGE
• Haley Lee, OKC Spark – AT-LARGE

Coaching Staff of the Year

• Texas Smoke

Player of the Year

• Janae Jefferson, Texas Smoke

Your 2023 WPF Championship Series Most Valuable Player: 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻⭐️ pic.twitter.com/nEtHqfwHXn

— Women's Professional Fastpitch (@wprofastpitch) August 14, 2023

Offensive Player of the Year

• Morgan Howe, Texas Smoke

Defensive Player of the Year

• Sydney Sherrill, OKC Spark

Pitcher of the Year

• Autumn Pease, Texas Smoke

Rookie of the Year

• Kayla Kowalik, USSSA Pride

Stolen Base Leader

• Kayla Kowalik, USSSA Pride

Here are other articles from this year dealing with the professional softball game…

• Athletes Unlimited: Cat Osterman to Throw Out First Pitch Before AU Games at Little League Softball World Series (Brentt Eads)
• Breaking News: Athletes Unlimited Moves AUX Softball & Championship Season to Chicago This Summer… 10 Players Announced (Brentt Eads)
• McKinney Headlines Selections in Athletes Unlimited College Draft (Brentt Eads)
• Pro News: No. 1 Overall Draft Pick Sydney McKinney Signs to Play In Athletes Unlimited Summer Events (Brentt Eads)
• Pro News: Athletes Unlimited Softball Rosters Set for Opening Week of 2023 Season (Brentt Eads)
• Pro News: Athletes Unlimited AUX Winners Announced After Season Two Completed (Brentt Eads)
• Austin-Based Pro Team Texas Smoke to Use Concordia University’s Field & Facilities (Brentt Eads)
• OKC Spark Announce Departure from Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) (Roger Mcafee)

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