2000 Women's Pro Softball League season
| 2000 WPSL Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's Professional Softball League |
| Sport | softball |
| Duration | June 19, 2000 - August 19, 2000 |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN2 |
| 2000 WPSL Draft | |
| Top draft pick |
Amanda Scott P Fresno State |
| Picked by | Ohio Pride |
| WPSL Championship Series | |
| Champions | Florida Wahoos |
| Runners-up | Ohio Pride |
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).
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.
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:
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.
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