The 2018 National Pro Fastpitch season was the 15th season of professional softball under the name

National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

(NPF) for the only professional women's

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

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.

Milestones and events

On October 12, 2017, it was reported the Texas Charge would be dissolving, effective immediately. The NPF did not make an announcement regarding the Charge, but all Charge players under contract were added to the league's transactions page as free agents. In an arrangement similar to the Beijing Eagles', NPF announced in December 2017 that

Softball Australia Australia's softball history began in 1939 when Gordon Young, Director of Physical Education in NSW, began to promote the game in schools and colleges. In 1942, during World War II, US army sergeant William Duvernet organised softball as a recr ...

would be operating a 2018 expansion team, the

Aussie Spirit The Aussie Peppers were a professional softball team based in North Mankato, Minnesota. They were founded in 2018 as the Aussie Spirit as part of the National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League ...

. On January 28, 2018, the Scrap Yard Dawgs announced via press release they would no longer be affiliated with the NPF. They indicated they would continue as an independent team. On the same day, Ohio.com reported that the Akron Racers would be replaced by a Chinese team, similar to the Beijing Eagles.

Rule changes

Teams, cities and stadiums

Player acquisition

College draft

The 2018 NPF College Draft will be the 13th annual collegiate draft for NPF.

Notable transactions

*Head Coaching Changes ** The Bandits announced that coach Sharonda McDonald would not be returning for the 2018 season. On September 19, they announced that their new coach would be Olympian medalist and NCAA champion Stacey Nuveman Deniz. Nuveman Deniz held the NCAA home run record of 90 from 2002 to 2015, when

Lauren Chamberlain Lauren Nicole Chamberlain (born July 2, 1993) is an American retired softball infielder. Chamberlain played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners softball from 2012 to 2015. A collegiate All-American, she was part of the 2013 Women's Colleg ...

broke it. She played in the NPF for the

Arizona Heat The Arizona Heat was a women's softball team based in Tucson, Arizona. From the 2004 season, it played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch. The team's home games were played at historic Hi Corbett Field. Six of the players on the 2006 roster ...

in 2005.

League standings

Results table

Game log

NPF Championship

Championship Game

Statistical leaders

Players of the Week

Annual awards

All-NPF Team

Notes

References

External links

* {{National Pro Fastpitch Softball in the United States National Pro Fastpitch season National Pro Fastpitch season