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Washington Glory Hits a Grand Slam in 2007 NPF NCAA Draft

February 15, 2007 - National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Washington Glory News Release


(Ashburn, VA) - The Washington Glory, the new National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) women's softball expansion team, announced today they have selected five elite college senior-athletes in yesterday's four-round NCAA draft.

The Washington Glory's new draft picks are:

Monica Abbott, University of Tennessee - pitcher

Hometown: Salinas, CA ....Monica, one of the top pitchers in the country, is currently fourth all-time in NCAA victories with 142 career triumphs. The 6'3" lefthander now stands just 10 victories from breaking the NCAA Division I career victory record held by Courtney Blades. A member of the US National Team, Abbott will vie for a spot on the 2008 US Olympic team this September.

Amber Jackson, University of Maryland - shortstop

Hometown: Fontana, CA ....Amber is currently working on her master's degree in human development at Maryland. She was a three-year letter winner and a three-time All-American shortstop at Division I Bethune-Cookman College. In 2003, she led the NCAA in hitting with a nation's best .493 batting average.

Lisa Ferguson, Baylor University- pitcher

Hometown: Fort Worth, TX ....In 2006 Lisa was named to the Second-Team NFCA All-Midwest Region and All-Big 12 Conference teams. In Lisa's sophomore and junior seasons she led the team with 20 wins each season, as well as having a team leading ERA of 1.96 and 1.94 respectively.

Chelsi Lake, Baylor University - infield

Hometown: Keller, TX ....Chelsi was named to the 2007 USA Softball National Player of the year preseason watch list. Through Chelsi's first three years at Baylor she has become one of their most dominant hitters in the university's history. Amassing numbers that put her in the in the top three in seven different hitting categories including doubles, runs batted in, total bases, slugging percentage and home runs.

Ashley Monceaux, Baylor University - infield/pitcher

Hometown: Tucson, AZ ....Ashley, majoring in communications, is a First-Team All-Big 12 conference athlete. As a junior Ashley was third in batting average at .336 while having the incredible fielding percentage of .989 on 278 putouts.

These players were selected from a prestigious list of the most acclaimed athletes in the nation during today's fourth annual National Professional Fastpitch draft.

"Things went even better than planned for us today and I am absolutely ecstatic with the outcome of our draft selections," said Washington Glory owner Paul Wilson. "These talented players come from great softball programs throughout the country and will add just the right combination of skill, power and finesse to our line up. Our plan this year is to build the winningest team in the league and win the NPF 2007 Championship Series in our inaugural season!"

"In addition to creating a team that triumphs," continued Wilson , "we have worked diligently to find players who will bring incredible character, integrity and heart to the Washington community. My dream is to create a solid team of athletes who will add something very special to our community. We are committed to building strong and diverse relationships throughout the Washington area with our fans, businesses, and the community at large."

"The NPF league showcases some of the world's best softball players. The NCAA Draft gives us the opportunity to tap into the elite talent coming out of the college level and bring it to our fans," said newly appointed NPF commissioner Cheri Kempf. "We are excited to add the hottest college players to our teams and bring even more electricity to our 2007 season."

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

Immediately following the draft, the Washington Glory contacted Liberty University 's stand-out athlete Jessica Moore to voice their interest in adding her to their 2007 roster after her graduation. Jessica was the 2006 Big South Preseason Player of the Year, and entered this season ranked first in Liberty history in home runs (39) and batting average (.412).

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).

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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.

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