USA Softball’s Campbell Selected Third Overall In NFP Draft
Hannah Campbell, selected third overall in the 2014 National Pro Fastpitch Draft on Monday. She is the first Jaguar student-athlete and first female in school history to be drafted professionally. | usajaguars.com
South Alabama senior pitcher Hannah Campbell has blazed a trail since she stepped onto campus. She blazed a new one Monday afternoon when she became the first softball student-athlete and the first female in school history to be drafted professionally when she was selected third overall by the Akron (Ohio) Racers in the 2014 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Draft.
The Satsuma native has a 76-30 record in her three-and-a-half years at South Alabama with a career ERA of 1.66. She was the first Jaguar to ever be selected as an All-American when the National Fastpitch Coaches Association selected her for second-team honors.
She is also a three-time NFCA All-South Region selection and back-to-back Most Oustanding PLayer of the SBC Tournament in 2012 and 2013. She has thrown two perfect games in her career at USA, the only two in school history, and was named to USA Softball’s Top-50 “Watch List” for collegiate Player of the Year award.
She currently holds a number of USA Softball records including: Wins (76), Saves (15), Complete games (85), Shutouts (26), Strikeouts looking (162), and Fewest Walks Allowed per 7 Innings (1.28).
The Akron Racers finished third in the four-team NPF league last season with a 16-32 record. They are the oldest existing team in the league and are headquartered in Akron, Ohio. They competed in the Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL) for two seasons in 1999 and 2000 and has been part of the NPF since 2004.
Head coach Becky Clark said, “If you look at her body of work from the time that she’s been here, it’s incredibly impressive. For us to come in as quickly as we did into a conference that has such a powerhouse in Louisiana-Lafayette and for Hannah to be the pitcher on the mound that breaks their streak of Sun Belt Conference championships is phenomenal.”
“Her no-hitter last season against ULL was the crux of the [2013 Sun Belt Conference] tournament,” Clark continued. “She’s worked incredibly hard for all of this. She’s not scared to compete. She’s a great teammate, she has a great mental game and she wants to be the best at what she does.”
Congratulations Hannah! Not only is JagNation proud of you, but all of Mobile is proud of you!