2004 National Pro Fastpitch season
| 2004 NPF Season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Pro Fastpitch |
| Sport | softball |
| Duration | June 1, 2004 - August 18, 2004 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| 2004 NPF Draft | |
| Top draft pick |
Iyhia McMichael Mississippi State |
| Picked by | Akron Racers |
| Regular Season | |
| Regular Season Champions | Texas Thunder |
| Cowles Cup | |
| Champions | NY/NJ Juggernaut |
| Runners-up | New England Riptide |
| Finals MVP |
Amanda Scott NY/NJ Juggernaut |
The 2004 National Pro Fastpitch season was the first season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch for the only professional women's fastpitch softball 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.
The 2004 season was the culmination of years of work to relaunch the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) as a new league. In November 2002 the new name for WPSL - National Pro Fastpitch - was announced, along with a 2003 tour and league play beginning in 2004.
NPF initially announced a league roster of teams in Akron, Ohio (Akron Racers), Denver, Colo.(Colorado Altitude), Houston and San Antonio, Texas (Texas Thunder and San Antonio Armadillos), Sacramento, Calif. (California Sunbirds), Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Heat), Lowell, Mass. (New England Riptide), and Parsippany, NJ (NY/NJ Juggernaut). The Racers were the only NPF team that also played in the WPSL. NPF conducted its first player drafts with these eight teams.
In March 2004, NPF released its inaugural schedule for 2004 and did not include the Armadillos and the Altitude. Reports allowed for the possibility of both teams joining the league in 2005 or later, but it never came to be.
NPF officially launched its first season on June 1, 2004, with three games: the Akron Racers at the Texas Thunder, the Arizona Heat visiting the California Sunbirds, and the New England Riptide at the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut.
NPF held tryouts and its first drafts at the 2003 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention,at the Del Lago Resort, in Montgomery, Texas December 3–6, 2003.
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