The National Pro Fastpitch League (NPF) takes place from when players report for practice in mid-May and goes through the Championship Series at the end of August. When looking at the season as a whole, it’s roughly three months of actual games, and it sure goes by fast. So what do the players of the NPF do the other eight and a half to nine months out of the year? The “Where are They Now?” Column covered by Fastpitch News will focus on several NPF Players a month, providing fans with updates and insights on what their favorite Pro Athletes are up to in the lengthy and quiet off-season months. Up Next: Kelly Kretschman, outfielder for the USSSA Pride.
Kelly Kretschman recently completed her 11th season in the National Pro Fastpitch League. She has been a part of five Championship teams over her respectable 11-year campaign in the league. A five-time All-NPF Team member, Kretschman had her best offensive season this past summer of 2016. She led the league in HR (13), RBI (45), and AVG (.466). These almost unheard of season stats earned Kelly the prestigious title of the NPF’s first Triple Crown Winner in Pro Softball history. But she didn’t stop there, she also racked up awards for League MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Home Run Champion.
Kretschman has been an active member of the USSSA Pride since the team’s inaugural season in 2009 (Image by Sam Janicki)
Kretschman hails from the University of Alabama where she was a four-time All-American and was a member of the All-College World Series Team in 2000. She played for the USA National Team and won a Gold Medal in 2004 and a Silver Medal in 2008.
Kelly spends her off-season months helping grow and promote the Pro League, as well as getting herself mentally and physically ready for the next NPF summer season. See below:
FPN: Where are you spending your off-season months?
KK: Currently I am living in Satellite Beach, FL. I will hopefully be moving to Cocoa Beach after the New Year.
FPN: What is your employment or commitment in the off-season?
KK: I work for USSSA full-time doing whatever things they need me to do. We just got done playing in the Fall College Tour, but now I am done playing till the Pro season starts up again.
FPN: What does a typical off-season day in the life of Kelly Kretschman look like?
KK: I like to get up and go workout then I head to the beach. I like to go boogie boarding, layout and just relax. After that, I pretty much come home and play with my dogs and cook dinner.
FPN: For those not familiar, can you talk about the Pride Fall Tour?
KK: The Pride Fall Tour is all about playing college teams and exposing them to the Pro league. It gives the college teams a chance to see how their teams are doing during the fall and also it’s a great experience getting to play against Pro level athletes. It also is about exposing the Pro league to the fans and showing them what kind of softball the Pro league has to offer. The team consists of most of the USSSA Pride players from the Pro team, with a couple of other players from the other teams in the Pro league.
At the 2016 NPF Banquet, Kretschman (with NPF Commissioner Cheri Kempf) was named the first player in league history to receive the Triple Crown Award (Image by Jade Hewitt)
FPN: What college teams have you played against so far this fall?
KK: During the tour, we have played, LSU, ULL, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, McNeese State, Texas State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Dayton, and Ohio State.
FPN: You had quite the 2016 season, arguably one of your best ever and was named the first NPF Triple Crown recipient. What does this award mean to you?
KK: It is really a special honor. Now that I have had time to think about it, it’s pretty cool that I was the first player ever to receive it. To think about all the great players that have played in the league and to be the first to do it is pretty cool. I could not have done it though without the help of all my teammates, they were awesome.
FPN: What’s your workout and softball practice regimens in the off-season?
KK: This is always a funny question to me because I love to workout. I pretty much workout every day. Softball-wise though, I don’t really do anything until about the end of April or the beginning of May. When you have played as long as I have you don’t really forget how to do softball things (LOL).
Kretschman (pictured left) played for the University of Alabama and was a four-time All-American (Photo courtesy of Bama Softball)
FPN: You’re one of the NPF Veterans. What does playing in this league mean to you?
KK: It means a lot to me. It’s one of the reasons I have played so long in it and want to continue to play in it. I want little girls to dream about being a Professional softball player. I want all those girls to get to experience the same things that this sport has given me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would still be playing. The Pro league (NPF) has given me this opportunity to continue to play the sport that I love.
FPN: Where do you hope to see the NPF league in the next five years?
KK: I would love to see the NPF have eight or nine or even ten teams with two divisions. Although we have made huge strides in our league we have so much further to go. How great would it be to see the NPF on ESPN as much as we see the MLB?
Kretschman represented Team USA at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games (Image courtesy of USA Softball)
FPN: Already being a 2x Olympian, will there be a 2020 Olympic appearance in your future?
KK: I get asked this question a lot. If I am still able to play the game at the level I am used to playing at, then yes. I would love to have an opportunity to win another Gold medal and avenge losing the last Olympics (2008). But with that being said, four years is a long time from now, so we will see.
FPN: Anything else you would like to add?
KK: I just want to add that I hope people see how high the level of softball is in the NPF. I truly believe it’s the best softball in the world and somehow, someway, I hope we can continue to get the best players to want to be a part of something as great as being a Pro softball player. My hope is that at some point no softball player will have to choose between representing their Country or being a Professional. I hope we will all figure out a way for everyone to do both if that’s what they choose. How great would softball be in our Country if that happens?
Feature Image by Sam Janicki
