SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Professional Fastpitch Softball Coming to WV Power

August 30, 2012 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Charleston, WV (August 30, 2012) - The West Virginia Power announced today that the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) 2012 Back to School Tour will be coming Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday, September 25th. The event will include a pre-game Fan Fest and a 7-inning game between professional All-Stars and the Marshall University Softball Team.

Gates will open at 4:30 PM with the Fan Fest running from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM. The Fan Fest will include inflatable games, a silent auction, and a photo/autograph session with the NPF All-Stars from 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM. The 7-inning game will begin at 7:30 PM.

The Tour is sponsored in part by USSSA, with the support of Major League Baseball. The 2012 Tour marks the third consecutive year the NPF has placed a team made up of all-stars from all 4 NPF teams, on the road to compete in exhibition games against colleges across the U.S.

"We are excited to host the NPF and Marshall in what will hopefully become an annual event. Our goal has always been to offer affordable family entertainment and we are proud to add professional fastpitch softball to that list," said Executive Vice President of the West Virginia Power Andy Milovich.

The Herd softball team is coming off a successful 2012 season in which it compiled a record of 36-21 overall and 15-9 in Conference USA, finishing third in the regular season. Marshall was the runner-up in the C-USA tournament, falling 3-2 to Tulsa in the championship game.

"I appreciate the efforts of NPF Commissioner Cheri Kempf and West Virginia Power Executive Vice President Andy Milovich in providing us with this great opportunity for our student-athletes," Marshall head coach Shonda Stanton said. "It will be a great night of softball and I hope fans around the region will come out in full support of these incredible athletes in both dugouts."

Currently, two former Marshall players are competing in the NPF regular season. Rachel Folden, a four time All-American for the Herd (2005-08) plays for the Carolina Diamonds. Folden is presently second in the league in home runs (8) and tied for fourth in RBI (23). Marshall's current assistant coach Amanda Williams is her seventh year in the NPF. Playing currently for the Chicago Bandits, Williams, an outfielder, has 21 hits in 31 games.

Folden and Williams may also be part of the NPF All-Star squad that will compete against the Herd. While the roster of players traveling to Charleston has yet to be released, previous teams have included former Olympic gold medal winners Cat Osterman, Andrea Duran and Caitlin Lowe, plus national title winners Taryne Mowatt (Arizona) and Jenn Salling (Washington).

Over the two year history of the NPF Back to School Tour, the team of professional All-Stars has a 41-1 record, with the only loss coming at the hands of the University of Oklahoma on the Fall 2011 Tour. This year the Tour will make 21 stops across 16 states, and compete against 22 different schools in a 40 day span. The 22 university programs include 8 who were ranked in the Top 20, and 2 ranked in the Top 10, on the final USA Today/NFCA college softball poll.

"The Tour is one of my favorite events of the year for the NPF and this year's schedule is super," commented NPF Commissioner, Cheri Kempf. "The goal of this Tour is to continue to broaden the fan base for professional softball in a competitive environment and to let many of the college programs we play against, celebrate their former players that have gone onto become professionals. We are grateful for, and appreciative of the programs that are so willing to share in that mission with us, and take a crack at the professionals along the way."

Advance ticket prices for the event are $7.00 for a Box Seat or $5.00 for General Admission. Ticket prices the day of the event are $9.00 for a Box Seat or $7.00 for General Admission. Tickets are available online at wvpower.com, over the phone at 304-344-BATS (2287) or in person at the Power Box Office (hours of operation are M-F 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM).

For more information about the event at Appalachian Power Park contact the Power Front Office at 304-344-BATS (2287). For more information about the NPF tour or appearance possibilities contact the NPF League Office email at info@profastpitch.com or call 615-232-2900.

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