USSSA Pride Sign Draftee Pitcher Chelsea Thomas

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - May 30, 2013 - PRLog -- Chelsea Thomas was selected 20th overall by the USSSA Pride

Kissimmee, FL- The USSSA Pride signed draftee and Missouri pitcher Chelsea Thomas to a two year deal today. Thomas was selected 20th overall by the Pride in the 2013 NPF Draft. Thomas was recognized as the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year this season, adding more accolades to go with her two Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012.

“I wanted Chelsea Thomas to be a part of the USSSA Florida Pride from the start”, stated Pride General Manager Don DeDonatis. “I have watched her now for 3 years and always thought she was as good or better than anybody out there”. “Both on and off the field, we feel Thomas will be a perfect fit in our USSSA family”.

"Chelsea Thomas is a three time All American and a three time Pitcher of the Year across two major conferences," commented NPF Commissioner, Cheri Kempf. "She is the type of player that can sustain the extraordinary talent pool we are accustomed to in the NPF. I look forward to seeing her in action this season as a professional athlete."

This announcement comes on the heels of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (https://nfca.org/) yesterday naming Thomas a First Team All-American. It is the third time in her career she has earned the honor. She struck out 232 batters in 198.1 innings of work, a strikeout total that stands ninth in school history. Thomas, from 2011 (397 strikeouts) and 2012 (306 strikeouts) rank as the top two single-season marks at Missouri. Thomas earned five SEC Pitcher of the Week awards in 2013, becoming just the second player in SEC history (joing Monica Abbott) to win five weekly pitcher awards in a single season

“The USSSA Florida Pride is excited to have a player of the stature of Chelsea Thomas on its roster” Assistant USSSA General Manager Gordon Glennie remarked when asked. “She has had a brilliant college career and her reputation as being a true fighter in the circle is just the type of player we want on our team.”

The USSSA Pride start off their 2013 NPF Season on June 9th at 8:05 PM at Osceola County Stadium. All Pride games will be broadcast live on USSSALive.com so all fans can tune in to see Chelsea Thomas and the Pride face off in their season opener against the NY/NJ Comets.

About USSSA Florida Pride:

The USSSA Florida Pride (http://usssapride.com/) is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch (http://profastpitch.com/) League that is owned and operated by USSSA (http://www.usssa.com/). The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.

About NPF (http://www.profastpitch.com/):

National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF (http://www.profastpitch.com/) is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball (http://mlb.mlb.com/) in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!