March 8, 2012
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Nashville, Tenn. -
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and its four-affiliate teams held the 2012 NPF College Draft Presented by Miken from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Fordham's Jen Mineau was selected in the fourth round, 15th overall by the Akron Racers.
The fourth round opened with the Carolina Diamonds adding Georgia Tech's Kelsi Weseman and continued with the Akron Racers taking Alicia Herron of The Ohio State University at number 14 and, through a recent trade, the Racers chose again in the No. 15 spot, naming Fordham University's standout pitcher, Jen Mineau. The USSSA Florida Pride rounded out the fourth by selecting Washington's Nikia Williams.
Racers President and General Manager Joey Arrietta reflected on the pick: "Mineau has a great arm and a knack for getting batters out and not allowing runs. Pitching comes at a premium in the NPF and we need solid arms the Racers can lean on when times get tough and there isn't a lot of run support. Mineau has that ability to take some pressure off our hitters, allowing them to take the lead instead of playing catch up. She chips away at the corners, which tends to catch batters leaning away or pulling back. In any case, she reminds me a little bit of Lisa Norris - mentally tough all the time."
Mineau, who was named Preseason ESPN.com All-America as well as to the USA Softball Top 50 Watch List, enters her final year off a junior season filled with superlatives. The right-handed hurler tossed a pair of no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game, and set school marks in strikeouts and wins. Mineau earned a slew of accolades including being named a Preseason All American by ESPN, as well as First Team All A-10, NFCA All Mid-Atlantic First Team and the A-10 Scholar Athlete of the Year. Last year, Mineau compiled a 24-9 record with a 1.22 ERA and four saves.
In 43 appearances, she threw 24 complete games with 15 shutouts. Over 224.2 innings Mineau allowed just 116 hits while striking out 300 and walking just 38 batters. Opponents managed to hit just .148 against the talented right-hander. Mineau led the Atlantic 10 in ERA and was ranked second in wins and strike outs in 2011. In national rankings, she was fifth in shutouts, sixth in hits allowed (3.61/seven innings), ninth in ERA, 14th in saves and 16th in the country in both strikeouts (9.3/seven innings) and walks allowed (1.18/seven innings). Most recently, Mineau was named a finalist for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
NPF Commissioner, Cheri Kempf stated, "I wholeheartedly extend my congratulations to the 20 young women selected in this year's NPF College Draft. These women represent the future of professional softball and I cannot wait to see them in action beginning in June."
Due to NCAA regulations, an active college senior-athlete is not eligible to sign with her respective franchise until her 2012 season is complete.
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)
2012 NPF Draft Presented by Miken, Results:
Round 1
1 (1) USSSA Florida Pride - Brittany Mack
2 (2) Chicago Bandits - Kimi Pohlman
3 (3) Akron Racers - Lexy Bennett
4 (4) USSSA Florida Pride - Andrea Harrison
Round 2
1 (5) USSSA Pride - Kristyn Sandberg
2 (6) Chicago Bandits - Katie Schroeder
3 (7) Akron Racers - Hillary Bach
4 (8) USSSA Florida Pride - Valerie Arioto
Round 3
1 (9) Carolina Diamonds - Sara Plourde
2 (10) Chicago Bandits - Stephanie Ricketts
3 (11) Akron Racers - Amanda Chidester
4 (12) USSSA Florida Pride - Michelle Moultrie
Round 4
1 (13) Carolina Diamonds - Kelsi Weseman
2 (14) Akron Racers - Alicia Herron
3 (15) Akron Racers - Jen Mineau
4 (16) USSSA Florida Pride - Nikia Williams
Round 5
1 (17) Carolina Diamonds - Angel Bunner
2 (18) Chicago Bandits - Adrienne Monka
3 (19) Akron Racers - Jamia Reed
4 (20) USSSA Florida Pride - Christi Orgeron
