USSSA Pride Head to Arizona State University to Begin Fall Tour
October 2, 2015 - National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
USSSA Pride News Release
Kissimmee, FL- Tempe, Arizona marks the first stop for the USSSA Pride during their 2015 Fall Tour. In six days, the Pride will make an appearance at Arizona State University to compete against the Sun Devils in a friendly exhibition game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (PT) at Farrington Softball Stadium and will include former Sun Devil Amber Freeman playing against her alma mater.
Freeman had this to say about returning to Arizona State, "I never thought I would be able to play on that field again, so I'm feeling very excited and even nostalgic at the same time. I'm excited to be able to go back home, see old teammates and play in front of my home crowd one last time." Amber Freeman had an illustrious career at Arizona State, ranking fourth in ASU career history with 56 home runs and fifth all-time in career RBI at 97.
A few other Pride players have roots in Arizona including catcher Chelsea Goodacre and Hallie Wilson who both played college ball at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, about a two hour commute from Tempe, AZ. The USSSA Pride will also be coached by two Arizona natives during the Fall Tour; Megan Willis and Brigette Del Ponte from Chandler and Peoria respectively.
The 2015 Fall Tour roster also features Pride veteran and 2014 NPF Player of the Year Andrea Duran, 2014 WCWS Most Outstanding Player Hannah Rogers, 2013 NPF Rookie of the Year Andi Williamson, 2014 NCAA batting champ Courtney Ceo, Breja'e Washington, GiOnna DiSalvatore, Amanda Kamekona, and Emilee Koerner.
Other notable NPF players on the 2015 Pride Fall Tour roster include former Sun Devil Dallas Escobedo of the Pennsylvania Rebellion and Bianca Mejia. Mejia was drafted by the NPF Diamonds in 2011 and during her rookie season was named the NPF Defensive Player of the Year. Mejia also works with USA Elite Select as a Region 4 Director.
The Pride are coming off a 34-14 regular season run plus the title of 2015 regular season champions before falling to the Chicago Bandits in the post season. They will face five separate universities during the 2015 Fall Tour and hope to increase the exposure of the NPF and USSSA Fastpitch.
Following Arizona State, the remaining games on the Fall Tour include:
October 14th vs. Cal State Fullerton
October 17th vs. Cal State Northridge
October 19th vs. Cal Poly
October 21st vs. Fresno State
Tickets for game one can be purchased at the Arizona State Sun Devils website for $7.00.
In between exhibition games the Pride girls will also be working alongside USA Elite Select at various All-American Elite Camps and qualifiers. Listed below are the All-American Elite Camp Dates and Locations:
October 9th Gilbert, AZ Big League Dreams
October 16th Cathedral City, CA Big League Dreams
October 23rd Elk Grove, CA Elk Grove Complex
October 30th Shawnee, KS Mid-America Sports Complex
November 6th McKinney, TX Ballfields at Craig Ranch
You can register for any of these camps at USAEliteSelect.com. Follow the Pride on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all Fall Tour updates.
National Pro Fastpitch Stories from October 2, 2015
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
