2016 NPF College Draft
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Seniors Shelby Turnier and Lee Ann Spivey represented the American Athletic Conference in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch Draft, held in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday night. They were the second and third all-time American Athletic Conference selections in the NPF draft.
Turnier, a UCF pitcher, was picked 11
th overall by the Chicago Bandits, and is the highest draft pick in school history. She joins former Black and Gold players Kahley Novak and Stephanie Best as NPF draft picks. Four Knights have gone on to play in the NPF, as Allison Kime and Breanne Javier joined the league as free agents following the exhaustion of their eligibility.
The reigning American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year ranks second in UCF Softball history in career wins (72), and is just six shy of Mackenzie Audas’ program record of 78, set in 2015.
With 179 strikeouts this season, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native pushed her career total to 758. She joined Kime (847) and Audas (975) as the only three Knights to reach the 700-strikeout career milestone. This season Turnier also claimed sole possession of third place in career shutouts with a 1-0 victory over UConn on April 1.
In 2016, Turnier has pitched six complete-game outings against top-25 opponents and reached double figures in strikeouts four times, including a season-high 11 against then-No. 3 Auburn and Charlotte. She fanned 10 batters against then-No. 8 UCLA and conference opponent, UConn. The senior has collected three conference Pitcher of the Week accolades, bringing her career total to 10.
USF catcher/outfielder Spivey was the 33
rd overall pick in the 2016 draft. She joins an extensive list of former Bulls players in the NPF, and is the first since 2013 to be drafted. She will be reunited with former USF pitcher and teammate Sara Nevins on the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs.
The senior is just four home runs shy of breaking the USF career home run record after tallying nine so far this season for a total of 32. With 153 career RBIs, she is just 19 away from breaking the record set by her former coach, Carmela Liwag (171), from 2002-2005. In the single-season record books Spivey ranks third in RBIs (52) 2015, and fifth in home runs, with 10 in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. She boasts a career .320 batting average, .572 slugging percentage and a .374 on-base percentage.
The product of Palm Coast, Fla., was named to the 2015 NFCA Mideast All-Region First Team and the American Athletic Conference First Team. As a junior, she earned third team NFCA All-Region honors and second team all-conference honors. This season, she was recognized as the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week (March 14) for the second time in her career.
ABOUT THE NPF
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), is the only professional women's softball league in the United States. NPF currently features six teams: USSSA Florida Pride, Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Dallas Charge, Pennsylvania Rebellion, and the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.
The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revived the league in 2004. The 2004 season was distinguished by 178 league-wide games, 96 of the best female softball players in the country, the continued support of Major League Baseball as the Official Development Partner of NPF in the category of women's fastpitch softball, NPF playoffs (both best of three series went three games) and the inaugural NPF Championship with the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut capturing the Championship Cowles Cup with a victory over the New England Riptide, fourth place finisher in the regular season.