Force Draft Seven

Published on February 15, 2007 under National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Philadelphia Force News Release


February 15, 2007- Philadelphia, PA- Yesterday the Philadelphia Force and the rest of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) held their annual draft of NCAA elite college softball athletes. The Force had seven overall picks in the four-round draft.

With the third pick in the first round, the Force selected Brianne McGowan, a pitcher, from Oregon State University. In 2006, the right-hander was 29-9 with an 1.36 ERA. McGowan pitched 267.2 innings for the Beavers and struck out 258. The Reno, Nevada native pitched every postseason inning (57.1) for Oregon State. She also was a member of the USA Softball gold medal winning World University Games team.

The Force used their second pick in the first round and eighth overall to select Nebraska University pitcher, Ashley DeBuhr. In 2006, the right-hander was a First-Team All-Big 12 award winner. For the Huskers, she posted an 1.50 ERA and had 304 strikeouts in 229.1 innings. The Beatrice, Nebraska native was 26-10 in 41 appearances in the circle.

Leading off the second round, The Force selected Leslie Klein from LSU. The left-handed outfielder from Sunrise, Florida batted .396 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs in 2006. She is a career .360 hitter in her three years at LSU while starting 181 out of 184 games. A flawless outfielder, Klein handed all 83 chances in the field perfectly last season.

Round three of the draft had the Force landing Emily Turner, a right-handed pitcher, with the 21st pick overall. Turner, also from LSU, was 28-9 with a .93 ERA for the Tigers. She recorded 260 strikeouts while only giving up 31 earned runs in 233 innings. In her three years at LSU, Turner has a career ERA of 1.58 and a record of 63-30. She is from Chula Vista, California and is the 2006 Louisiana Pitcher of the Year award winner.

The Force had three picks in the final round of the draft. They selected infielder Megan McAllister from the University of Georgia, outfielder Sharonda McDonald from Texas A&M University, and utility player Mia Longfellow from Oregon State University.

McAllister batted .350 in 2006. She added 16 homeruns and drove in 64 runs. The right-handed infielder from Carlsbad, California was a First Team All-SEC and a NFCA First Team All-Southeast Region selection.

McDonald hit .271 in 2006. She was 21-for-23 on stolen base attempts. In 2005, she was 48-for-48 on stolen base attempts and owns the Aggie career record for stolen bases with 116 through her junior year. The Houston, Texas native patrolled center field for the Aggies in all 53 games last year.

Longfellow started all 59 games at shortstop for OSU in 2006 and finished with a .951 fielding percentage. She led the team with a .323 batting average, 62 hits, and 14 doubles. Longfellow ranks second all-time at Oregon State with 37 sacrifices. She bats from the left side and is from Ramona, California.

Due to NCAA regulations, an active college senior-athlete is not eligible to sign with the club until their 2007 college season is finished.

For more information on the Force, please visit www.philadelphiaforce.com or call 215-875-2800.

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