1 overall pick, likes being part of a pro league that increases the sport’s visibility. Wichita State player Sydney McKinney, two-time college batting champion and Athletes Unlimited’s No. Athletes Unlimited chose 14 players the next month. Women’s Professional Fastpitch, founded by USSSA, USA Softball, and Smash It Sports, hosted its first in-person draft in April and chose 24 players. The championship series averaged 1.6 million viewers on ESPN, with Game 2 pulling in 1.9 million, a 7% increase over last year.Īs college softball has flourished, so have attempts to capitalize. On-site attendance at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City set a new record this year of 12,290 fans per session. The college game continues to post strong numbers, feeding interest in the pro game. Access to the WPF Dugout Pass can be purchased. She helped make the league’s first season successful enough that it added the Oklahoma City Spark and the Austin Smoke to the USSSA Pride and the Smash It Sports Vipers for this season. Former Oklahoma star Jocelyn Alo decided to play for WPF last year after setting the home run record for Division I softball. WPF started last year with two teams playing the traditional team style. Both seasons crown individual champions based on a point system. This year will feature a short season called AUX that runs June 12-27 in Rosemont, Illinois, and a regular season that runs July 28 to August 27. This is the fourth year for Athletes Unlimited softball. Oklahoma’s Alex Storako and Haley Lee, Florida State’s Kathryn Sandercock, Oklahoma State’s Rachel Becker and Kiley Naomi and Alabama’s Montana Fouts were drafted by both but have not signed. Washington’s Baylee Klingler, Kentucky’s Kayla Kowalik, Arkansas’ Chenise Delce, Florida’s Charla Echols and Northwestern’s Jordyn Rudd all picked WPF. “I just felt like AU was a better fit for me at this time.”
“I think either way, it’s really cool to see people still playing this sport and continuing to grow the sport that I love so much,” Faraimo said. Neither league existed when Faraimo started her college career during the 2018-19 school year. She knew some of the players from the Team USA program that were with Athletes Unlimited and she liked what she saw when she watched its games on ESPN last year.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Former UCLA softball star Megan Faraimo was one of 12 players with the option of choosing between two professional leagues after being drafted by both.įaraimo chose Athletes Unlimited over Women’s Professional Fastpitch.
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