The 2016 National Pro Fastpitch Championship will start at 6:00 PM eastern time on August 19, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Below you will find the Fastpitch news preview, predictions and resources.
Schedule
- August 19 – 6:00 PM – Bandits @ Scrap Yard Dawgs (CBSSN)
- August 19 – 9:00 PM – Racers @ Pride (NPF TV)
- August 20 – 12:00 PM – Bandits @ Scrap Yard Dawgs (CBSSN)
- August 20 – 3:00 PM – Racers @ Pride (CBSSN)
- August 20 – 6:00 PM – Bandits @ Scrap Yard Dawgs (IF NECESSARY) (CBSSN)
- August 20 – 9:00 PM – Racers @ Pride (IF NECESSARY) (CBSSN)
- August 21 – 5:00 PM – Championship Game – TBD @ TBD (CBSSN)
- August 22 – 8:00 PM – Championship Game – TBD @ TBD (CBSSN)
- August 23 – 8:00 PM – Championship Game – TBD @ TBD (IF NECESSARY) (CBSSN)
Useful Links
- 2016 National Pro Fastpitch Championship Website
- 2016 Standings
- 2016 Statistics
- 2016 Schedule and Results
- Team Rosters
Semifinal: No. 1 USSSA Pride (37-13) vs. No. 4 Akron Racers (22-28)
The USSSA Pride will look to win their third championship in four years. The odds of that happening look good. They have been the most consistent team in the league this year and sit atop the league in offense (.296), fielding (.977) and pitching (2.33). They are 10-0 against Akron this season and have outscored the Racers 61-25.
The big story for the Pride this season has been the offensive performance of 11 year veteran Kelly Kretschman. Kretschman became the first player in league history to capture the triple crown, meaning she lead the league in batting average (.466), RBI (45 ) and home runs (13).
It does not stop with Kretschman, four other Pride players are hitting above .300 in Haylie McCleney (.375), Shelby Pendley (.351), Sierra Romero (.341) and Hallie Wilson (.338). Two of those are rookies in McCleney and Romero. Scoring is not an issue for this team that has also hit a league leading 64 home runs on the year.
The Prides pitching staff has also been sharp in 2016. They have used five different pitchers rather evenly throughout the season. No one pitcher has jumped out as the staff ace, but the system has worked well. The five they have relied on are Jolene Henderson (9-3, 2.00 ERA), Kelsey Nunley (6-1, 2.45 ERA), Hannah Rogers (6-2, 2.62 ERA), Keilani Ricketts (6-5, 2.64 ERA) and Chelsea Thomas (7-2, 2.86 ERA). They have also used Jordan Taylor (3-0, 0.74 ERA) well in a relief role when needed.
Akron has been better this year at the plate then they have from the circle. They rank third in batting (.257) but fifth in pitching (4.23). At the plate rookie Sami Fagan has been impressive. Fagan ranks second in the NPF for average, hitting .392 on the season and leads the league with 62 hits. She has also hit nine home runs.
The struggles have come with their pitching and defensive play. They are second to last in ERA (4.23) and last in fielding percentage (.967). The Racers have used a total of seven pitchers on the season with Sarah Pauly (18-16) and Jailyn Ford (9-9) pitching the most innings.
Heading into the three game series the Pride are the heavy favorite for several reasons. The biggest is that you have a good hitting team facing a team that has struggled in the circle and defensively. The Pride are the most rounded team in the championship and it will most likely show in this series.
Prediction: USSSA Pride in two games.
Semifinal: No. 2 Scrap Yard Dawgs (29-19) vs. No. 3 Chicago Bandits (23-25)
The second semifinal features a first year program in the Scrap Yard Dawgs, taking on the defending Cowles Cup Champion Chicago Bandits.
One big reason the Bandits made a run in 2015 was because of pitcher Monica Abbott (18-1), who now throws for the Scrap Yard Dawgs. Abbott has faced her former team three times this season. Over those three games she has not given up a run, recorded 13 strikeouts and just nine hits over 14 innings of work.
These two teams have played eight times in 2016 with Chicago winning five of the eight. The Scrap Yard Dawgs won both games that Abbott started against the Bandits. Although Chicago appears to have the edge, at least when looking at the head-to-head results, they will have to find a way to score against Abbott, who most likely see’s the bulk of the innings.
The Scrap Yard Dogs have been solid in their first season as an NPF team. Pitching, thanks to the addition of Abbott, has been a major reason they have found success early. Abbott leads the league in several categories including ERA (0.72) and strikeouts (167).
At the plate they are led by Nerissa Myers who enters the series with the third best average in the league at .389. Myers also has 10 doubles and nine home runs. Rookie Kiki Stokes has put together a strong season as well posting a .304 average with six doubles and seven home runs of her own.
The Chicago Bandits are second in the league in batting average (.273) and are ahead of the Scrap Yard Dogs in runs scored. Two Bandits have but together strong seasons at the plate in Taylor Edwards and Jill Barrett. Edwards has been the biggest offensive threat for the Bandits this season with her .353 batting average, 34 RBI and 10 home runs. Barrett has been consistent posting a .345 average and 59 hits.
Although Chicago holds the edge in wins, the Scrap Yard Dogs will be favored to win the series. The main reason is pitching.
The Scrap Yard Dogs have the most dominant pitcher in the league in Abbott, while the Bandits have took more of a platoon approach with their staff this season. Chicago has good pitching but consistency has hurt them all year. That and the fact that they have struggled to get the bats and pitching to work well at the same time is what gives the Scrap Yard Dogs the edge. If the Chicago pitchers can keep the scoring to a minimum they will have a decent chance, but they have yet to figure out a way to plate a run against Abbott this season. The Bandits do have some speed so it will be interesting to see if they deploy a more small ball approach against Abbott to put more pressure on the Scrap Yard Dog Defense, a defense that committed a co-league high 45 errors.
Prediction: Scrap Yard Dogs in three games.
