Tide's McClain Drafted 18th Overall in Professional Softball Draft
12/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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University of Alabama All-American first baseman Jackie McClain was selected as the 18th overall pick (2nd pick, 3rd round) in the inaugural National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) draft by the New England Riptide.
McClain, who is a senior on the 2004 Crimson Tide team, is a three-time All-American and helped lead Alabama to its second Women’s College World Series appearance in four years last season.
The NPF is a reconstructed effort of the five-year old Women’s Pro Softball League, the only professional fastpitch softball league in the country.
Eighty players were drafted in the draft, including 48 of the NCAA’s top seniors and 32 of the nation’s best fastpitch players, as the NPF held the 2004 draft at the Del Lago Resort in Montgomery, Texas. The two drafts were held in conjunction with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention, which ran from December 3 – December 6.
Also representing the Crimson Tide in the NPF is former All-American first baseman Ginger (Jones) Powers who signed with the Texas Thunder.
“This is exciting for Jackie and Ginger,” said Alabama Head Coach Patrick Murphy. “Few other players have had an opportunity to play softball at the professional level.”
The league is comprised of eight teams, the Akron Racers, the Arizona Heat, the Colorado Altitude, the New England Riptide, the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut, the Sacramento Sunbirds, the San Antonio Armadillos and the Texas Thunder.
The inaugural NPF season is scheduled to start on June 1.
