The 2011 NPF Season: Watch professional softball online this summer

We’re finding ourselves spending a lot more time around the computer screen this summer, thanks to National Pro Fastpitch’s online broadcasts.

The NPF is providing streaming video and live stats for all of its games this season. You can take a look at their broadcast schedule here. (Note: All times are local.)

You can also download the league schedule in PDF form here:

For those unfamiliar with the NPF, it’s a four-team softball league that features some of the legends of American softball. Players like Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, Natasha Watley, Jessica Mendoza, Lauren Lappin and Caitlin Lowe are all on NPF rosters.

It’s a league built around a fan-friendly atmosphere, and one of its major goals is to get youngsters interested in softball. It’s not uncommon to see players stick around, sign autographs and chat with fans after games.

There are franchises in Akron, Chicago, Nashville and Kissimmee, Fla. The league also plays games in other areas of the country and has a series planned for Canada this season.

If you’re nearby and would like to check out a game in person, you can purchase tickets here.

Related: Here’s more on the history of the league, which has been around since 1976.

Evoshield links up with National Pro Fastpitch

National Pro Fastpitch announced yesterday that it has begun a partnership with Evoshield, one of the industry’s hottest names in protective padding.

In a prepared release, NPF commissioner Cheri Kempf said the league was introduced to Evoshield by its athletes.

“It seemed the athletes who had discovered Evoshield were quickly attached to the complete protection balanced with total comfort that the EvoShield products provide,” she said. “We are proud to now have Evoshield step into the NPF Promotional Partner category and look forward to increasing their exposure through all levels of softball.”

Evoshield has become increasingly popular in several different leagues and sports, thanks to the unique way the pads are fitted. Evoshield uses a proprietary substance that turns a gel into a hardened material and allows consumers to custom fit their protective device.

Whereas other pads might be bulky or they might not fit 100% correctly, Evoshield’s pads are designed for a custom fit. The result is protection without having to sacrifice comfort or range of motion.

Keep an eye out for them this summer as National Pro Fastpitch — the professional home of players like Cat Osterman, Megan Gibson and Monica Abbott — begins play.

For softball players, we carry:

• EvoShield’s Spartan Wrist Guard ($21.99)

Attack ground balls and never worry again about catching a ball on bad hop, thanks to Evoshield’s impact dispersion technology.



• EvoShield’s Shin and Foot Guard ($49.99)

This shin/foot guard combo is lightweight and comfortable, and it doesn’t hinder your baserunning.



• EvoShield’s One Size Elbow Guard ($39.99)

Provides a perfect fit on all sizes of arms, and its lightweight feel makes it comfortable to wear at the plate.



• Evoshield’s Adult Rib Protective Shirt ($89.99)

For unsurpassed rib protection without a loss in range of motion. Hamilton began wearing it after suffering broken ribs while playing a few years ago.



• EvoShield’s Black Arm Sleeve ($16.99)

Specifically designed to keep your arms warm in cold weather.



• EvoShield’s Grey Chest and Rib Protector ($89.99)

Similar to the rib protective shirt, but also protects against direct chest and back impact.

Related: Browse our entire selection of softball accessories.

Austin softball fans: Pro softball will be in your neighborhood this summer

Big news for softball fans in the Lone Star State: Jennie Finch and Co. will be in your area this summer.

The Dell Diamond in Round Rock is set to host a five-game series between the Chicago Bandits and the USSSA Florida Pride on Aug. 12-15. The NPF announced the series on Tuesday.

Texans will get a chance to see some of the best athletes in softball. Alongside Finch, Olympians like Monica Abbott, Caitlin Lowe, Jessica Mendoza, Lauren Lappin and Natasha Watley will also be in action.

Here are the details:

The teams will play five games in the four-day period with single games at 7 p.m. CDT Thursday, Aug. 12, and Friday, Aug. 13, a doubleheader at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, and a single game at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15.

Reserved tickets are $10 per game with general admission tickets for $5 per game. Express full-season and Friday Fireworks ticket holders have first opportunity to purchase their seats for the event April 20-30. Tickets go on sale to the general public May 1. Regular Express discounts apply for seniors, military and kids. Groups of 20 or more also receive a discounted rate.

There will also be a youth softball clinic, featuring members of the Chicago Bandits, held that week.

Related: Browse our selection of Jennie Finch softball gear.

Former pro softball player to represent the USA in women’s bobsled

Bobsled is an intense sport.

It demands speed and explosive power from its athletes. That’s why bobsled tends to appeal to ex-football players and sprinters.

But a softball player?

It’s not that far of a stretch, says Team USA’s Elana Meyers. The 25-year-old Olympian left behind a career in professional softball to pursue a spot on the US Bobsled Team.

Meyers will be in action tonight at 7 p.m. in the Vancouver Olympic women’s two-man bobsled.

So how did Meyers go from rise balls to ice walls? Simple.

“Bobsled is about strong and powerful athletes,” Meyers told the GW Hatchet. “And that’s what I am.”

Her hitting prowess and her quick first step off the base translated big time to bobsledding, an unusual sport for an athlete that grew up in the heat of Georgia and played college ball in Washington, D.C.

As a shortstop and pitcher, Meyers still holds nine school records at George Washington University, including career batting average, on-base percentage, stolen bases and hits and runs scored.

Meyers graduated in 2007 and was drafted by the NPF’s Mid-Michigan Ice. Her tenure there lasted less than a year, thanks to the Ice’s dissolution before the 2008 season.

That’s when — with no experience in the sport — Meyers tried out for the US Bobsled Team.

She made the transition from the circle to the sled, and her softball background paid off.

“In softball you have four-hour practices and you work very hard to fine tune your hitting or fine tune your fielding, and it’s little adjustments you make,” Meyers told the Hatchet. “It’s the same in bobsled. It’s a whole bunch of little adjustments that you make that make a huge difference at the end of the day.”

Meyers won her first World Cup medal in 2008, a bronze with driver Shauna Rohbock. The following year, she won a gold medal at the World Cup in Whistler, Canada — which just so happens to be where she’ll be racing tonight.

Related: Follow Meyers on her blog.