Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) is a professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. The new league began its promotional campaign in 2021[3] and launched its first official season in 2023.[4][5][6]
Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Women's Professional Fastpitch season | |
 | |
| Sport | Fastpitch softball |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 14, 2021[1] |
| First season | 2022 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | 4801 Gaillardia Parkway[2] Oklahoma City |
| Most recent champion(s) | Texas Smoke |
| Most titles | Texas Smoke (1 title) |
| Official website | wprofastpitch.com |
The league is unrelated to the defunct league that used the names National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) along with Women's Professional Fastpitch. Not to be confused with a new competing league, the Association of Fastpitch Professionals.
History
editFollowing the 2023 season, the Oklahoma City Spark announced their departure from the WPF in December 2023.[7] In April 2024, the Smash It Sports Vipers and USSSA Pride both announced they would not participate in the 2024 season.[8][9] Three new teams in Texas were added to replace the teams that left the league, the Coastal Bend Tidal Wave, Hub City Adelitas and Texas Monarchs.[10]
In April 2024, B4Real Enterprises was named the league's operations and management team.[11] On April 16, 2024, the WPF announced their intentions to expand internationally and add two teams from Mexico.[12]
Teams
edit| Team | Location | Venue | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Bend Tidal Wave | Robstown, Texas | Fairgrounds Field | 2024 |
| Hub City Adelitas | Floydada, Texas | Lady Winds Field | 2024 |
| Texas Monarchs | San Marcos, Texas | Bobcat Softball Stadium | 2024 |
| Texas Smoke | 2023 |
| Team | Location | Venue | First | Last | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smash it Sports Vipers | Oxford, Alabama | Choccolocco Park | 2022 | 2023 | On hiatus[13] |
| USSSA Pride | Viera, Florida | USSSA Space Coast Complex | 2022 | 2023 | On hiatus[14] |
| Oklahoma City Spark | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium | 2023 |
AFP team | |
Championship Series
edit| Season | Winning team | Coach | Series | Losing team | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Texas Smoke | Tori Tyson | 2–0 | USSSA Pride | Kelly Kretschman |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "New US professional softball league: Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF)". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Contact WPF". Women's Professional Fastpitch. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Protect Her Dream". youtube.com. Women's Professional Fastpitch. 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Women's Professional Fastpitch Kicks Off In June 2022". National Fastpitch Coaches Association. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "USSSA partners with USA Softball to launch new women's professional softball league". Florida Today. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "FAQ". WPF. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ McAfee, Roger (December 22, 2023). "OKC Spark Announce Departure from Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF)". extrainningsoftball.com. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Eady, Aurielle (April 4, 2024). "USSSA Pride, professional woman's softball team in Florida, will not operate in 2024: 'We are saddened'". fox35orlando.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ Medley, Joe (April 24, 2024). "No Vipers in '24". easportstoday.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ Liska, Larissa (June 13, 2024). "Women's Professional Fastpitch make South Texas splash with Coastal Bend Tidal Wave". kristv.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "WPF League Update". wprofastpitch.com. April 5, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "WPF Expands Internationally". wprofastpitch.com. April 16, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "Smash It Sports Vipers announce they won't participate in 2024 season". The Anniston Star. April 24, 2024. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
The team released a statement Wednesday saying it would not be participating in the 2024 season. However, the Vipers do plan to return to Oxford in 2025.
- ^ Eady, Aurielle (April 4, 2024). "USSSA Pride, professional woman's softball team in Florida, will not operate in 2024: 'We are saddened'". Fox 35 Orlando. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
["...] the USSSA Pride will not operate in 2024," the statement read.
