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NATIONAL PRO NEWS...

NATIONAL PRO FASTPITCH (NPF) WILL PLAY 44-GAME team schedules this year, beginning Thursday, June 7 with the defending champions Chicago Bandits challenging the USSSA Florida Pride at home. The new Carolina Diamonds will travel to take on the Akron Racers. The regular season ends August 19 prior to the start of the NPF Championship Series, August 23. NPF fans can catch all the season action through Internet live streaming.

Since BPF's 2004 inaugural year, the Chicago Bandits have dominated five of the eight seasons. However, the season-ending Championship Series has yet to crown a back-to-back winner.

Full story at http://www.profastpitch.com/news/index.html?article_id=1720

CLICK HERE for NPF's schedule. 

USSSA PRIDE’S SARAH PAULY INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME at her alma mater, Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Sarah is one of five NCAA Division I pitchers to win 100 games, strikeout 1,000 batters, maintain a sub-1.00 ERA and average double-digit strikeouts for a career. From 2002-05, Pauly’s record reads 112-46, 1,636 strikeouts, 57 shutouts and a 0.88 ERA in 1049.2 innings pitched.

In her career in the NPF she has an ERA of 2.19 with 631 strikeouts.

"THE REWARD THAT THIS GAME HAS is what makes me love it,” she said. “The whole outlook of this sport makes more sense now that I am out of college and an accomplished pitcher, but a long time ago there was a little girl who fell in love with the sport and never looked back.”

Full story and much more about Sarah's career at http://www.profastpitch.com/news/index.html?article_id=1722 

PHOTO ABOVE: Sarah Pauly goes into the stretch. Sarah has a “PaulyGirl Fastpitch - dedicated pitching” website at http://www.paulygirlfastpitch.com

TRIPLE THREAT PLAYERS can hit away, slap and bunt. 

She – “the triple threat” player -- is changing the way the game of softball is played, according to Caitlin Lever of the Chicago Bandits.

“The game is now faster,” Caitlin claims, “and more strategic with an emphasis on speed.”

HIT, SLAP, BUNT ADVANTAGES: 1. Coaches can do more with game strategy. 2. Pressure on defense forces errors. 3. Batter has more options by reading defense or field condition. 4. Decreases slumps by allowing batter to utilize better what is working.

Caitlin adds: “These players are lethal weapons when they get on base and they add tremendous numbers to the RBI list of those big power hitters that come up to the plate behind them.”

Full story at http://rise.espn.go.com/softball/articles/2011/03/Caitlin-Lever-Triple-Threat.aspx?pursuit=Softball

PHOTO ABOVE: Caitlin Lever of  professional softball's Chicago Bandits connects with a slap hit. Caitlin has also played for the Canadian National Team, Canadian Olympic Team, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.