University of Tennessee Athletics
Callahan and Doepking Selected in NPF Draft
February 19, 2008 | Softball
DENVER, Colo. ??? A pair of seniors from the No. 4 Tennessee Lady Vol softball team (9-1) have been chosen in the annual National Pro Fastpitch Draft according to a release from the organization. Third baseman Tonya Callahan was selected by the Rockford Thunder with the first pick of the third round (13th overall). Catcher Shannon Doepking went to the Akron Racers two positions later as the third pick of the round and 15th overall choice. In Akron, Doepking is expected to join former Lady Vol India Chiles as part of the upcoming 2008 squad.
Former Lady Vols Sarah Fekete (Philadelphia Force/???06), Kristi Durant (New England Riptide/???06), India Chiles (Akron Racers/???07), Monica Abbott (Washington Glory/???07) and Lindsay Schutzler (Chicago Bandits/???07) complete the list of previous Big Orange NPF pro draft picks. Both Durant and Chiles did not participate in the league during the year they were drafted due to pre-existing injuries.
Fekete, a 2006 first-team Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American, led the Force during her only pro campaign (???06) with a .366 average on 30-of-82 hitting at the dish with 11 runs scored, two doubles and five RBI despite missing much of the season as a member of USA Softball???s gold medal-winning World University Games squad that competed in T???ai-nan City, Taiwan.
Despite joining the first-year expansion Washington Glory late in the 2007 regular season due to her U.S. National Team summer commitments, Abbott helped lead her pro team to the NPF Championship. The Salinas, Calif., native outdueled current U.S. teammate and former University of Texas pitcher Cat Osterman, 3-2, in 10 innings while striking out 18 in her pro league debut against the Rockford Thunder. Abbott not only no-hit Rockford in the opening round of the playoffs, but secured the title for the Glory in the finals with a 3-1 victory over the Thunder. After working five frames to grab the triumph in the championship clinching contest, Abbott was chosen as the NPF Championship Series Most Valuable Player.
Schutzler???s Chicago Bandits recorded a 24-20 regular-season record in 2007 to finish out of the playoff hunt by just a single game in the standings. Despite that disappointment, the Monterey, Calif., native made quite an individual statement in her first year in the pro ranks. Picking up seemingly where she left off at Tennessee, the three-time Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American tortured opposing defenses by leading the Bandits in runs scored (22), triples (four), walks (18) and stolen bases (20) while hitting .265 with eight RBI and a .385 on-base percentage.
The six NPF teams scheduled to compete in 2008 include the 2007 defending champions, the Washington Glory. Also included in the league are the New England Riptide, the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Rockford Thunder, and the Philadelphia Force.
Players selected in the NPF NCAA draft will be permitted to pursue any available roster spot on their assigned team after completing their college season.
Due to NCAA regulations, an active college senior-athlete is not eligible to sign with her respective franchise until her 2007 college season is finished. Major League Baseball is the Official Development Partner of National Professional Fastpitch in the category of women's professional fastpitch softball. The partnership, which began the fall of 2002, is part of The Commissioner's Initiative on Women and Baseball, a league-wide effort to help Major League Baseball and the 30 Major League Clubs build stronger relationships with female audiences.
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names Women???s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women???s Pro Softball League (WPSL).
| 2008 NPF Senior Draft Results |
| Round 1 |
| 1 (1) ??? Philadelphia Force - Katie Burkhart, Pitcher, Arizona State |
| 2 (2) ??? Philadelphia Force - Megan Gibson, Pitcher, Texas A&M |
| 3 (3) ??? Akron Racers - Angela Tincher, Pitcher, Virginia Tech |
| 4 (4) ??? New England Riptide - Selden, Pitcher, UCLA |
| 5 (5) ??? Rockford Thunder - Savannah Brown, Catcher, Georgia Tech |
| 6 (6) ??? Washington Glory - Taryne Mowatt, Pitcher, Arizona |
| Round 2 |
| 1 (7) ??? Chicago Bandits - Rachel Folden, Catcher, Marshall |
| 2 (8) ??? Philadelphia Force - Savannah Long, Infielder, Oklahoma |
| 3 (9) ??? Chicago Bandits - Emily Nichols, Catcher, Iowa |
| 4 (10) ??? Chicago Bandits - Aileen Morales, Shortstop, Georgia Tech |
| 5 (11) ??? Akron Racers - Kate Robinson, Pitcher/First Base, Hawaii |
| 6 (12) ??? Rockford Thunder - Lauren Eckermann, Pitcher, Oklahoma |
| Round 3 |
| 1 (13) ??? Rockford Thunder - Tonya Callahan, First Base, Tennessee |
| 2 (14) ??? New England Riptide - TJ Eadus, Catcher, Creighton |
| 3 (15) ??? Akron Racers - Shannon Doepking, Catcher, Tennessee |
| 4 (16) ??? Washington Glory - Courtney Bures, Shortstop, Mississippi State |
| 5 (17) ??? Akron Racers - Angelena Mexicano, Shortstop, Illinois |
| 6 (18) ??? Akron Racers - Susan Ogden, Catcher, Oklahoma |
| Round 4 |
| 1 (19) ??? Rockford Thunder - Sandy Vojik, Utility, DePaul |
| 2 (20) ??? Rockford Thunder - Beth Boden, Shortstop, Tennessee Tech |
| 3 (21) ??? Philadelphia Force - Tory Yamaguchi, Catcher, Indiana |
| 4 (22) ??? New England Riptide - Jordan Praytor, Utility, Alabama |
| 5 (23) ??? Akron Racers - Brittany Barnes, Infielder, Georgia Tech |
| 6 (24) ??? Washington Glory - Cambria Miranda, Utility, Oregon State |
