# 2000 Women's Pro Softball League season

The 2000 Women's Professional Softball League season was the fourth season of professional women's fastpitch softball for the league named Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL). It was the WPSL's final season until the league relaunched in 2004 under the name National Pro Fastpitch. In 1997 and 1998, WPSL operated under the name Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF).

## Teams, cities and stadiums

| Team | City | Stadium |
| Akron Racers | Akron, Ohio | Firestone Stadium |
| Ohio Pride | Akron, Ohio | Firestone Stadium |
| Florida Wahoos | Plant City, FL | Plant City Stadium |
| Tampa Bay FireStix | Plant City, FL | Plant City Stadium |

## Milestones and Events

In October 1999, the WPSL announced a restructuring plan to consolidate the league and to facilitate a tour between the league's teams and the USA Softball Women's National Team. The plan was to take the 1999 roster of teams ( Akron Racers, Carolina Diamonds, Durham Dragons, Georgia Pride, Tampa Bay FireStix, and Virginia Roadsters) and reduce it to two teams in Ohio and two teams in Florida. The tour of exhibition games against team USA was called "From Central Park to Sydney" (the 2000 Olympics were played in Sydney, Australia) and ran from May to September.
The WPSL's two Florida teams were revealed as the Tampa Bay Firestix and Florida Wahoos, and the Ohio teams as the Akron Racers and Ohio Pride. These locations in Florida and Ohio were intended to be developed as national training centers for fastpitch softball.
On October 14, 1999 WPSL suspended operations of the Georgia Pride, Durham Dragons, Carolina Diamonds, and Virginia Roadsters. The contracted Roadsters' players were assigned to the newly created Ohio Pride of Akron, Ohio. The contracted Georgia Pride players were assigned to the expansion Florida Wahoos of Plant City, Fla. Tampa Bay FireStix relocated to Plant City Stadium in Plant City, Fla. The players of the Dragons and Diamonds became available for selection in the 2000 WPSL draft.

## Player Acquisition
### Player Drafts

WPSL held Draft Day 2000 on December 4 at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Petersburg, FL during the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention. Three drafts were held:
* The 2000 Elite/Supplemental Draft selected players from a pool of players on the rosters of the Dragons and Diamonds, 1999 USA Softball Olympic Trial and Olympic Festival invitees who had completed their collegiate eligibility, and WPSL players who were not on their teams' protected list. The Florida Wahoos selected Fresno State shortstop Nina Lindenburg as the first elite/supplemental pick.
* The 2000 Senior Draft selected from collegiate senior fastpitch players. The Ohio Pride chose Fresno State pitcher Amanda Scott as the first senior pick.
* The 2001 National Team Draft drew from the 2000 USA Olympic roster, with the hope the players selected would play in the WPSL in 2001. (However, the WPSL suspended play before the 2001 season.) The Akron Racers selected 1996 Olympic Gold Medal-winning pitcher Lisa Fernandez as the first overall National Team pick.

## Central Park to Sydney tour

As part of the run-up to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, a nine-city tour, called “Central Park to Sydney Tour,” was scheduled between WPSL teams and the USA national softball team. USA pitcher Lisa Fernandez pitched five straight perfect games, and in one of those games she struck out all 21 batters.

### Tour schedule and results

| DATE | TEAMS | STADIUM | LOCATION |
| Friday, June 2 | USA Softball 1, Florida Wahoos 0 | Jim Frost Stadium | Chattanooga, TN |
| Friday, June 9 | USA Softball 1, Akron Racers 0 | Firestone Stadium | Akron, OH |
| Sunday, June 25 | USA Softball 1, Tampa Bay FireStix 0 | Plant City Stadium | Plant City, FL |
| Saturday, July 1 | USA Softball 7, Ohio Pride 0 | Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field | Stratford, CT |
| Sunday, July 16 | USA Softball 2, Akron Racers 1 | Husky Stadium | Seattle, WA |
| Sunday, July 23 | USA Softball 2, Florida Wahoos 0 | Bulldog Diamond (renamed Margie Wright Stadium in 2014) | Fresno, CA |
| Thursday, July 27 | USA Softball 2, Ohio Pride 0 | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium | Oklahoma City, OK |
| Saturday, August 12 | USA Softball 3, Tampa Bay FireStix 1 | O'Neil Park | Bloomington, IL |
| Saturday, September 2 | USA Softball 1, WPSL All-Stars 0 | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium | Honolulu, HI |
| Sunday, September 3 | USA Softball 1, WPSL All-Stars 0 | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium | Honolulu, HI |
| Sunday, September 3 | USA Softball 10, WPSL All-Stars 0 (ended in 6th inning due to 'mercy' rule) | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium | Honolulu, HI |

## League standings

Source:
| Team | GP | W | L | Pct. | GB |
| Florida Wahoos | 32 | 24 | 8 | .750 | - |
| Ohio Pride | 32 | 16 | 16 | .500 | 8 |
| Akron Racers | 32 | 15 | 17 | .469 | 9 |
| Tampa Bay FireStix | 32 | 9 | 23 | .281 | 13 |

## WPSL Championship

The 2000 WPSL Championship Series was held at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo on August 25 and 26. The top two WPSL teams met in a best-of-three series to determine the champion.
2000 WPSL Championship Series Florida Wahoos defeat Ohio Pride 2–0 :
| Game | Date | Score | Series (FL–OH) |
| 1 | August 25 | Florida Wahoos 3, Ohio Pride 0 | 1–0 |
| 2 | August 26 | Florida Wahoos 1, Ohio Pride 0 | 2–0 |
2000 NPF Championship Series MVP :
| Player | Club |
| Steph Klaviter | Florida Wahoos |

## Statistical Leaders

WOMEN'S PRO SOFTBALL LEAGUE LEADERS (THROUGH GAMES OF 8/19/00)
BATTING TOP 10 (MINIMUM 76 PLATE APPEARANCES)
| BATTER | TEAM | AVG | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI |
| Patti Benedict | Florida Wahoos | .330 | 31 | 106 | 11 | 35 | 1 | 7 |
| Nina Lindenberg | Florida Wahoos | .311 | 32 | 90 | 12 | 28 | 3 | 6 |
| Julie Smith | Ohio Pride | .289 | 30 | 97 | 10 | 28 | 0 | 4 |
| Jamie Foutch | Ohio Pride | .284 | 32 | 95 | 12 | 27 | 5 | 13 |
| Danielle Cox | Akron Racers | .275 | 29 | 69 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| Kellyn Tate | Akron Racers | .274 | 30 | 84 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 6 |
| Julie Crandall | Florida Wahoos | .238 | 29 | 80 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| Kim Maher | Florida Wahoos | .217 | 30 | 92 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 10 |
| Dana Degan | Ohio Pride | .216 | 26 | 74 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 4 |
| Kendall Richards | Florida Wahoos | .214 | 29 | 84 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 8 |
HOME RUNS
| PLAYER | TEAM | HR |
| Jamie Foutch | Ohio Pride | 5 |
| Marty Laudato | Tampa Bay FireStix | 4 |
| Nina Lindenberg | Florida Wahoos | 3 |
| Several Players Tied at 2 |||
RBI
| PLAYER | TEAM | RBI |
| Jamie Foutch | Ohio Pride | 13 |
| Soia Maumausolo | Florida Wahoos | 11 |
| Kim Maher | Florida Wahoos | 10 |
| Julie Adams | Ohio Pride | 9 |
| Marty Laudato | Tampa Bay FireStix | 9 |
STOLEN BASES
| PLAYER | TEAM | SB |
| Danielle Cox | Akron Racers | 9 |
| Traci Conrad | Akron Racers | 7 |
| Julie Smith | Ohio Pride | 7 |
| Barbara Jordan | Tampa Bay FireStix | 6 |
| Several Players Tied at 5 |||
TEAM BATTING
| TEAM | AVG | AB | R | H | HR | BB | SO | SB | CS |
| Florida Wahoos | .209 | 847 | 68 | 177 | 8 | 51 | 111 | 16 | 7 |
| Ohio Pride | .196 | 838 | 65 | 164 | 11 | 44 | 165 | 23 | 8 |
| Akron Racers | .180 | 821 | 53 | 148 | 7 | 47 | 226 | 35 | 14 |
| Tampa Bay FireStix | .139 | 779 | 36 | 108 | 8 | 63 | 187 | 16 | 9 |
TEAM PITCHING
| TEAM | W | L | ERA | H | CG | SHO | SV | HR | BB | SO |
| Florida Wahoos | 24 | 8 | 0.85 | 131 | 28 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 52 | 212 |
| Akron Racers | 15 | 17 | 0.99 | 158 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 60 | 149 |
| Ohio Pride | 16 | 16 | 1.32 | 141 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 56 | 203 |
| Tampa Bay FireStix | 9 | 23 | 1.50 | 167 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 37 | 125 |
PITCHING TOP 10 (MINIMUM 32 IP)
| PITCHER | TEAM | W-L | ERA | IP | H | BB | SO |
| Steph Klaviter | Florida Wahoos | 10- 2 | 0.25 | 84 | 31 | 11 | 68 |
| Amy Kyler | Akron Racers | 3- 5 | 0.83 | 68 | 43 | 22 | 60 |
| Liza Brown | Akron Racers | 3- 3 | 0.89 | 47 | 27 | 11 | 29 |
| Sarah Dawson | Akron Racers | 6- 5 | 0.92 | 76 | 49 | 15 | 41 |
| Kaci Clark | Florida Wahoos | 8- 3 | 0.94 | 82 | 46 | 27 | 77 |
| Brandee McArthur | Ohio Pride | 6- 7 | 0.98 | 107 | 69 | 17 | 87 |
| Monica Triner | Tampa Bay FireStix | 3-10 | 1.09 | 96 | 74 | 9 | 44 |
| Heather Compton | Ohio Pride | 7- 3 | 1.34 | 68 | 35 | 24 | 81 |
| Desarie Knipfer | Florida Wahoos | 6- 3 | 1.44 | 73 | 54 | 14 | 67 |
| Carla Brookbank | Akron Racers | 3- 4 | 1.44 | 49 | 39 | 12 | 19 |
WINS
| PITCHER | TEAM | W |
| Steph Klaviter | Florida Wahoos | 10 |
| Kaci Clark | Florida Wahoos | 8 |
| Heather Compton | Ohio Pride | 7 |
| Several Players Tied at 6 |||
SAVES
| PITCHER | TEAM | SV |
| Liza Brown | Akron Racers | 2 |
| Carla Brookbank | Akron Racers | 1 |
| Heather Compton | Ohio Pride | 1 |
| Holly Killion | Ohio Pride | 1 |
| Brandee McArthur | Ohio Pride | 1 |
STRIKEOUTS
| PITCHER | TEAM | SO |
| Brandee McArthur | Ohio Pride | 87 |
| Heather Compton | Ohio Pride | 81 |
| Kaci Clark | Florida Wahoos | 77 |
| Steph Klaviter | Florida Wahoos | 68 |
| Desarie Knipfer | Florida Wahoos | 67 |

## Annual awards

Source:
| Award | Player | Team | Note |
| Most Valuable Player | Patti Benedict | Florida Wahoos | |
| Hitter of the Year | Patti Benedict | Florida Wahoos | |
| Home Run Champion | Jaime Foutch | Ohio Pride | 5 HR |
| Pitcher of the Year | Steph Klaviter | Florida Wahoos | league leader in wins and ERA |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Julie Smith | Ohio Pride | only committed two errors |
| Coach of the Year | Cindy Bristow | Florida Wahoos | regular-season record of 24-8 (.750), berth in the 2000 WPSL Championship Series. |

## WPSL All-Star Team

2000 WPSL All-Star Team roster
2000 WPSL ALL-STAR ROSTER :
| Player | Position | WPSL Team | College | Hometown |
| Julie Adams | 3B | Ohio Pride | UCLA | Cypress, CA |
| Patti Benedict | OF | Florida Wahoos | Michigan | Lamont, FL |
| Heather Compton | P | Ohio Pride | UCLA | Santa Maria, CA |
| Danielle Cox | OF | Akron Racers | Florida State | Anniston, AL |
| Julie Crandall | C | Florida Wahoos | UNLV | San Jose, CA |
| Dana Degen | DP | Ohio Pride | Hawaii | La Mesa, CA |
| Jaime Foutch | OF/1B | Ohio Pride | Oklahoma State | Edmond, OK |
| Barbara Jordan | OF | Tampa Bay FireStix | CSNU | Granada Hills, CA |
| Steph Klaviter | P | Florida Wahoos | Minnesota | New Ulm, MN |
| Desarie Knipfer | P | Florida Wahoos | CP - SLO | Scotts Valley, CA |
| Amy Kyler | P | Akron Racers | Cleveland State | Marshallville, OH |
| Nina Lindenberg | SS | Florida Wahoos | Fresno State | Anaheim, CA |
| Kim Maher | OF | Florida Wahoos | Fresno State | Oakland, CA |
| Kendall Richards | 3B | Florida Wahoos | Texas A&M | Eugene, OR |
| Julie Smith | 2B | Ohio Pride | Fresno State | Glendora, CA |
| Kellyn Tate | OF | Akron Racers | Michigan | Chesterfield, MO |
Head Coach: Cindy Bristow, Florida Wahoos
The USA Olympic softball team played a doubleheader against each NPF All-Star Team on July 13. The Olympians swept the games beating the East 5-0, and edging the West 5-3 in 9 innings. The West All-Stars beat the East by a score of 1-0 on July 14. Nancy Evans was named the Most Valuable Player.