August 23, 2007

- KIMBERLY, WI - National Pro Fastpitch announced its awards for the

2007 season today at a press conference and awards ceremony in

Kimberly, Wisconsin, site of the 2007 NPF Championship Series.
 

Washington Glory Amber Jackson was named the Majestic

Athletic 2007 Player of the Year. In her rookie season, Jackson led the

league in just about every offensive category throughout the year and

was also the Glory’s mainstay at shortstop. She is second in the league

in batting average at .372 and leads the league in homeruns at 15;

RBI’s at 38 and amassed a league leading slugging percentage of .814.
 

Washington Glory right-hander and Arizona Heat transplant Desiree Serrano

earned the Diamond Sports 2007 Pitcher of the Year honors. Her 18 wins

set an all-time NPF record for the regular season. Serrano also ranked

1st in total innings at 140.1 while only allowing an astonishingly low

20 walks during her 22 appearances.

Akron Racers second baseman Veronica Wootson

slugged her way to the Nokona American Glove Award for the 2007

Offensive Player of the Year. Wootson is an un-drafted free agent who

signed a contract to play for the Racers just prior to the start of

spring training. Wootson clearly was the best leadoff hitter in the

league having rocketed the Racers to victories with her surprising

burst of power and her stellar defense. Wootson blasted nine homeruns,

four doubles and collected 46 hits in 148 official at-bats for a .534

slugging percentage and a .311 average. The Florida State grad has been

among the offensive league leaders since day one scoring 27 runs and

chipping in 27 RBI for the second place Racers. She has been dangerous

on the base paths having swiped 10 bases while posting a .329 on-base

percentage. Wootson had seven game-winning hits, three of which were

homeruns.

New England Riptide Jackie Pasquerella

was presented with the Nokona American Glove Award as the 2007

Defensive Player of the Year for her stellar performance at 3rd base.

During the 2007 season, Pasquerella made many great plays at third base

taking away multiple hits from opponents and played in 40 games without

committing a single error. Her quickness, athleticism and agility are

matched by few others. Not only is Jackie one of the finest third

basemen in softball, she makes those around her better players through

her encouragement and on-field leadership.
 

Philadelphia Force ace Kristina Thorson

was awarded with the Nokona American Glove Award as the 2007 Rookie of

the Year honors. Coming from a prestigious softball school in

Cal-Berkeley, her pitching command and amazing strikeout totals helped

her rise to the top early on this season. Thorson finished the season

with 115 strikeouts and a 5th place finish among NPF pitchers for

strikeouts. Thorson posted a 14-5 record which put her second in league

wins. The Lake Forest Park, Washington native pitched 12 complete games

this season (T-1st), including a no-hitter against Team China and 7

shut-outs. Pitching 116.2 innings (5th in NPF), Thorson only allowed 20

earned runs with a 1.22 earned run average, putting her in 2nd place on

the pitching leader-board. Thorson was a workhorse for the Force and

started 18 games for the team. She currently holds numerous

Philadelphia Force season and career pitching records in only her first

year of NPF experience.
 

Carie Dever-Boaz

was awarded the Diamond Sports 2007 Manager of the Year award. With

only a few weeks to prepare her team before the start of the season

Dever-Boaz led the new Washington Glory franchise to a regular season

championship with a record of 34 and 10. Under Dever-Boaz 's leadership

the Glory also set the regular season homerun record and the record for

the most wins in a season by a pitcher. In addition, her team

contributed five to the All-NPF team and had the Most Valuable Player

and Pitcher of the Year for the NPF.
 

The Majestic Cup was awarded to Paul Wilson, owner of the

Washington Glory, for an outstanding season and their first place

finish during the regular season. Under the leadership of Dever-Boaz,

the Glory led the league for the entire season and finished the season

with a 77.3 winning percentage. Wilson stated, “I needed someone that

could deal with my high expectations. Diaz and the entire Glory team

and staff understands and supports my dream of building something

different and very special and we all came together this season to

fulfill our goals. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by an

outstanding organization of dedicated and talented individuals.”

National Pro Fastpitch commissioner Cheri Kempf also recognized the

league-wide effort by NPF players, staff, owners and sponsors for

another great season and for their contribution to the development and

growth of National Pro Fastpitch and to NPF fans for their continued

support.

Sponsors of this year's awards include Nokona, official bat and

glove of NPF, Majestic Athletic, official supplier of authentic NPF

team uniforms, training apparel, and replica sportswear and Diamond

Sports, official ball of NPF. THE GAME, the official headwear supplier

of NPF, sponsored the Championship MVP trophy which will be awarded

following the Championship game on Sunday, August 26th. Nike, official

NPF Supplier, provided Nike Vision eyewear to the All-NPF Team which

was also honored during the pre-Championship Series award ceremony.

National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. 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 Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro