Former Hofstra Softball standouts Alicia Smith (1997-2000) and Jen Smith (1997-2000, no relation) were chosen in the second and third round, repsectively, in the 2003 National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) Draft on Saturday, December 6.
Both players were chosen by the New York/New Jersey franchise and were among the 32 players taken in the NPF's Elite Draft segment, which consisted of players who had already exhausted their college eligibility. An additional 48 college seniors were also chosen in the College Draft.
The revamped league consists of eight teams located in Akron, Ohio, Lowell, Mass., Houston and San Antonio, Texas, Sacramento, Calif., Denver, Colo., Tucson, Ariz., and the greater New York/New Jersey area. Akron is the only franchise that remains from the leagues beginning in 1997.
The 2004 NPF season runs from June 1 through August 31 and includes 56 regular-season games, an all-star game, a best-of-three Division Playoff and a best-of-five Championship Series.
National Pro Fastpitch is the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. The league is headquartered in Denver, and has been in operation since 1997 under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL).
Alicia Smith finished her Hofstra career as the school's all-time record holder in career hits (271) at the plate and second in career winning percentage in the pitching circle (71-25, .741). She ranks in the top three in the Hofstra record books in seven different offensive categories and in the top four in every pitching category. She was a second-team All-American as a senior, when she batted .387 with 41 RBI at the plate and had a 21-9 record and a 1.46 earned run average in the circle.
Jen Smith, meanwhile, tied the school record for pitching victories in a season as a freshman with 26, including a two-hitter against nationally-ranked Florida State for her first collegiate win. She was a first-team All-America East selection all four seasons for the Pride. She currently ranks third at Hofstra in career hits (234), fourth in runs (127), fifth in doubles (44), first in pitching appearances (146) and starts (122), second in wins (78) and no-hitters (5), and third in strikeouts (600).
Alicia Smith and Jen Smith were the only seniors in the class of 2000, which remains the winningest class in school history (139 wins). As seniors, they led the Pride to a 42-21 record, including a 2-1 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in the NCAA Tournament. They also captured the America East Championship, thanks in large part to Alicia Smith's 20-inning complete game in a 3-2 win over Delaware in the semifinals. Alicia Smith came back the next day to shut out Boston University 1-0 in the championship.
The two drafts were held in conjunction with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention, which ran from Wednesday, Dec. 3 ?“ Saturday, Dec. 6.
