Upstate Softball to Host NPF All-Stars, Georgia in Fall Games
8/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team will play host to the NPF All-Stars on Friday, October 12 at 6:00 pm at Cyrill Stadium, announced the National Pro Fastpitch league and USC Upstate. In addition, the Spartans will play host to Georgia on Saturday, October 13 in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 pm to wrap-up its fall schedule.
The Upstate-NPF game is part of the NPF's 2012 NPF Back to School Tour. The NPF team will consist of all-star players, some of whom play on the U.S. National Team, with the roster to be named in early September. The tour is backed by USSSA with support from Major League Baseball. Fans will be allowed to access the team members for autographs on the field following the game.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity for our players to be able to play the best softball players in the world and for the community to get a glimpse of world-class athletes right here in our backyard," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "This is a rare opportunity to be a part of the NPF Tour and one that we are excited to host at Cyrill Stadium."
The 2012 Tour will make 21 stops across 16 states, and compete against 22 different schools in a 40-day span. The 22 university programs include eight who were ranked in the Top 20 and two ranked in the Top 10 in the final USA Today/NFCA college softball poll. Those programs are Oklahoma (2), LSU (7), Louisiana-Lafayette (12), Arizona (13), Washington (14), Michigan (15), Florida (18) and UCLA (20). In addition to the rankings, 14 of the 22 scheduled Tour teams qualified for the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Over the two year history of the NPF Back to School Tour, the NPF team owns a 41-1 record, with the only loss coming at the hands of the Oklahoma on the Fall 2011 Tour. Oklahoma would go on to finish runner-up in the 2012 WCWS. Tickets for the game at Upstate will be $7 with children 3-and-under admitted free of charge, and will go on sale Oct. 1 in the Athletic Office. Fans can call (864) 503-5865 for more information.
The NPF has four professional teams: the Carolina Diamonds, Chicago Bandits, Akron Racers and USSSA Pride. The Diamonds are based out of Charlotte, but play their games throughout the Carolinas.
Tickets for the Oct. 13 doubleheader against Georgia at Cyrill Stadium will be sold at the gate day of the game. Ticket prices are $5. The games against the NPF All-Stars and Georgia will complete Upstate's fall season, which also features two tournaments at Cyrill Stadium Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 6.
Upstate is coming off of a 39-13 record in 2012. The Spartans received votes in the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls and were regulars in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll throughout the season. Upstate returns a strong nucleus from the 2012 team that claimed the program's first win over a top-25 team with a 3-1 victory over Syracuse (No. 23). Shellie Robinson (DeLand, Fla.) was named the A-Sun Freshman of the Year and was a first-team all-conference selection. She was ranked among the nation's leaders in a variety of categories. Joining Robinson on the all-conference team were first-team selection Cheyenne Griffin (Moore, S.C.) and second team pick Hannah Alexander (Lexington, N.C.). Griffin was the every day starter at first as a freshman and Alexander led the A-Sun in wins as a sophomore last year.
Upstate returns seven starting position players, including senior starting catcher Ericka Harris (Piedmont, S.C.), one starting pitcher (Alexander) and seven key role players from last year's team. Hawkins will have to fill the void left by departing senior Janna Lewis from last year's team. The Spartans have also added six newcomers to the 2013 squad: junior college transfers Meredith Barnes (OF, College of Siskiyous) and Anna Miller (P, College of Siskiyous), as well as high school standouts Mellena Helms (INF, Concord, N.C.), Jamie Ujvari (P, Niceville, Fla.), Jessica Ujvari (C, Niceville, Fla.) and Jordan Wilson (C, Belmont, N.C.).
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