Three Bulldogs On Opening Day Pro Fastpitch Rosters
STARKVILLE, Miss. --? A trio of former Bulldogs were among a pool of 93 athletes appearing on the opening day rosters of the six-team National Pro Fastpitch league, which made its debut on Tuesday evening with a full slate of games.
Iyhia McMichael, a two-time all-American with the Bulldogs who recently played her final game in Maroon and White, was the first overall pick in the 2003-04 NPF Senior Draft in December and now makes her home with the Akron (OH) Racers. Through three games in which the Racers have posted a 1-2 record, McMichael is currently hitting .143 (1-for-5) with a walk, a pair of stolen bases and a run scored. Akron currently sits fourth among the league standings and will face the New England Riptide in a three-game home set this weekend.
Four-time MSU all-American Kellie Wilkerson (1999-02) signed a free agent contract with the NY/NJ Juggernaut during the Fall and is an everyday starter with the league-leading Juggernaut (3-0). Through three games, Wilkerson has collected a .333 clip with a RBI double, three walks and a pair of runs scored. Included in her hitting tally is a 3-for-8 hitting line in a 16-inning road victory over the Riptide Wednesday evening. The Juggernaut will again be in action this weekend with a three-game series at Arizona.
Two-time all-SEC standout Karrie Rider (1997-00) also inked a free agent pro contract during the Fall and makes her home in the greater Houston area as a member of the Texas Thunder. Rider collected her first hit of the season Thursday evening in a 1-0 home victory over Akron and is currently hitting .167 on the young season. The Thunder sits second in the league with a 2-1 record and will travel to Sacramento on Saturday to begin a two-game set with the California Sunbirds. Of the three, Rider is the only holdover from the previous professional league, the WPSL, where she played as a member of the Ohio Pride in 2001 and 2002.
For more information about the trio, log on to the official home of the National Pro Fastpitch League, ProFastpitch.com. There you will find box scores, updated statistics and a variety of information on every member of the NPF.