# 2011 National Pro Fastpitch season

The 2011 National Pro Fastpitch season was the eighth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.

## Teams, cities and stadiums

| Team | City | Stadium |
| Akron Racers | Akron, Ohio | Firestone Stadium |
| Chicago Bandits | Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago Area) | Ballpark at Rosemont |
| NPF Diamonds | Nashville, Tennessee | Various |
| USSSA Florida Pride | Kissimmee, Florida | Osceola County Stadium and Champion Stadium |

## Milestones and events

The Tennessee Diamonds were rebranded as the NPF Diamonds for the 2011 season. The Diamonds were a "traveling team," playing each of their five 'home stands' at five different venues, from Calgary, Alberta to Lexington, North Carolina.
Akron Racers named as their coach Jake Schumann, who was also with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball coach.
NPF Diamonds signed Tim Kiernan as head coach. Kiernan had previously coached professional softball with WPSL's Virginia Roadsters in 1999, NPF Tour Teams in 2001 and 2003, and the Sacramento Sunbirds in 2004.
The Chicago Bandits moved into their new stadium Ballpark at Rosemont. It is the first ballpark specifically built for a women's professional softball team, and its address, 27 Jennie Finch Way, pays tribute to one of their most famous players.

## Player acquisition
### College draft

The 2011 NPF Senior Draft was held March 16, 2011, in Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The NPF Draft was broadcast on MLB.com. NPF Diamonds selected pitcher Kelsi Dunne of Alabama as the first overall pick.

### Notable transactions
## League standings

Source
| Team | GP | W | L | Pct. | GB |
| USSSA Pride | 39 | 30 | 9 | .769 | - |
| Akron Racers | 39 | 22 | 17 | .564 | 8 |
| Chicago Bandits | 40 | 20 | 20 | .500 | 10.5 |
| NPF Diamonds | 38 | 6 | 32 | .158 | 23.5 |

## NPF Championship

The 2011 NPF Championship Series was held at McMurry Park in Sulphur, Louisiana August 18–21. All four teams qualify and were seeded based on the final standings. The first seed played the fourth seed on a best-of-three series, and the second seed played the third seed in another best-of-three series. The winners played each other in a best-of-three series that determined the champion.
The games were broadcast on ESPN2, with color analysis by former NPF player and two-time Olympian Jennie Finch and three-time Olympian Leah O'Brien-Amico. Bernie Guenther called the play-by-play.
| NPF Semifinals (Best-of-3) | NPF Semifinals (Best-of-3) | NPF Semifinals (Best-of-3) | NPF Championship (Best-of-3) | NPF Championship (Best-of-3) | NPF Championship (Best-of-3) |
| 1 | USSSA Pride | 2 | | | |
| 4 | NPF Diamonds | 0 | | | |
| 4 | NPF Diamonds | 0 | 1 | USSSA Pride | 0 |
| | | | 3 | Chicago Bandits | 2 |
| 2 | Akron Racers | 0 | 3 | Chicago Bandits | 2 |
| 3 | Chicago Bandits | 2 | | | |
2011 NPF Semifinals Chicago Bandits defeat Akron Racers 2-0 :
| Game | Date | Score | Series (CHI-AKR) | Location |
| 1 | August 18 | Chicago Bandits 8, Akron Racers 1 | 1-0 | Sulphur, Louisiana |
| 2 | August 19 | Chicago Bandits 7, Akron Racers 4 | 2-0 | Sulphur, Louisiana |
2011 NPF Semifinals USSSA Pride defeat NPF Diamonds 2–0 :
| Game | Date | Score | Series (USSA-NPF) | Location |
| 1 | August 18 and 19 | USSSA Pride 8, NPF Diamonds 7 | 1-0 | Sulphur, Louisiana |
| 2 | August 19 | USSSA Pride 7, NPF Diamonds 0 | 2-0 | Sulphur, Louisiana |
2011 NPF Championship Series Chicago Bandits defeat USSSA Pride 2-0 :
| Game | Date | Score | Series (CHI-USSSA) | Location |
| 1 | August 20 | Chicago Bandits 4, USSSA Pride 3, (8 innings) | 1-0 | Sulphur, Louisiana |
| 2 | August 21 | Chicago Bandits 10, USSSA Pride 3 | 2-0 | Sulphur, Louisiana |

### Championship Game

| Team | Top Batter | Stats. |
| Chicago Bandits | Nikki Nemitz | 2-4 3RBIs 2B |
| USSSA Pride | Natasha Watley | 2-4 2RBIs |
| Team | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Chicago Bandits | Monica Abbott (W) | 7.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| USSSA Pride | Jordan Taylor (L) | 0.1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| USSSA Pride | Sarah Pauly | 2.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| USSSA Pride | Danielle Lawrie | 3.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2011 NPF Championship Series MVP :
| Player | Club | Stats. |
| Monica Abbott | Chicago Bandits | 3-0 30Ks 2.17 ERA SV 0.79 WHIP (16Hs+7BBs/29.0 IP) |

## Annual awards

Source:
* Ringor Cup (Best regular season record)
* USSSA Pride
| Award | Player | Team |
| Player of the Year Award | Jessica Mendoza | USSSA Pride |
| Pitcher of the Year (tie) | Monica Abbott | Chicago Bandits |
| Pitcher of the Year (tie) | Cat Osterman | USSSA Pride |
| Rookie of the Year | Alisa Goler | Chicago Bandits |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Bianca Mejia | NPF Diamonds |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Natasha Watley | USSSA Pride |
| Home Run Award | Alisa Goler | Chicago Bandits |
| Diamond Spike Award | Natasha Watley | USSSA Pride |
| Coaching Staff of the Year | USSSA Pride -- Tim Walton (HEAD COACH) and Beth Torina (ASSISTANT COACH) | USSSA Pride -- Tim Walton (HEAD COACH) and Beth Torina (ASSISTANT COACH) |
| Jennie Finch Award | Jessica Mendoza | USSSA Pride |

## Award notes

* ↑ The Diamond Spike Award is given to the player with the most stolen bases
* ↑ The Jennie Finch award is given to the player who best exemplifies the character and qualities of its famous namesake, and who is considered to positively impact the game both on and off the field.
2011 All-NPF Team :
| Position | Name | Team |
| Pitcher | Monica Abbott | Chicago Bandits |
| Pitcher | Cat Osterman | USSSA Pride |
| Pitcher | Kristina Thorson | Akron Racers |
| Pitcher | Danielle Lawrie | USSSA Pride |
| Catcher | Samantha Marder | Akron Racers |
| 1st Base | Nicole Trimboli | Akron Racers |
| 2nd Base | Ashley Charters | USSSA Pride |
| 3rd Base | Andrea Duran | USSSA Pride |
| Shortstop | Natasha Watley | USSSA Pride |
| Outfield | Megan Wiggins | Chicago Bandits |
| Outfield | Jessica Mendoza | USSSA Pride |
| Outfield | Alyssa Haber | USSSA Pride |
| At-Large | Danielle Zymkowitz | Chicago Bandits |
| At-Large | Shannon Doepking | Chicago Bandits |
| At-Large | Brittany McKinney | NPF Diamonds |
| At-Large | Charlotte Morgan | USSSA Pride |
| At-Large | Bianca Mejia | NPF Diamonds |