BATON ROUGE — For the second-straight year, former LSU softball All-American Trena Peel was one of 33 players named to the National Pro Fastpitch All-Star teams, it was announced on Wednesday.
The All-Star Game will be played on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. (CT) at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., the home of the Chicago Bandits, before the start of the 2005 NPF playoffs. The game will be broadcast tape delayed on ESPN2 on Aug. 28 at 4 p.m. (CT).
The 2005 All-Star series will feature two teams comprised of NPF’s top players fighting for geographical bragging rights. The East All-Stars will consist of standouts from the Akron Racers, New England Riptide and New York Juggernaut, while the West All-Stars will include all-stars from the Arizona Heat, Chicago Bandits and Texas Thunder.
A year after making the All-Star team as a member of the Akron Racers, Peel made the team as a member of the New York Juggernaut in 2005. The outfielder is batting .322 on the season with a double, four triples and a home run. In addition, she has knocked in eight runs, scored 20 times and stolen a team-best 13 bases.
From 1999-2002, Peel was a starter in the LSU outfield. She led the nation in triples her senior season while being named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association second-team All-American and an Easton first-team All-American. She was also the inaugural Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year in 2002.
Despite not making the All-Star team for the West, former Tiger All-American LaDonia Hughes is also having an outstanding season with the Arizona Heat. The outfielder is hitting .411, which ranks eighth in the league, with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. She has also stolen a team-best 11 bases, knocked in 17 RBIs, which is tied for 14th in the league, and scored 19 times.
Following the All-Star game, the top four teams in the NPF standings will play in the league’s post season single-elimination tournament. The opening round will pit the No. 1 seed against the fourth seed at 9 p.m. on Aug. 27 after the All-Star Game. The second first-round game will see the second and third seeds take the field at noon on Sunday. The winners will then play in the 2005 NPF Championship game at 3 p.m. on Sunday. That game will be televised on ESPN2 on tape delay at 6 p.m. (CT).
Currently, Chicago leads the NPF with a 34-6 overall mark, followed by Akron at 32-6. Texas stands in third place at 31-8, while New York is holding on to the final playoff spot at 27-9. Arizona is currently two games out of the playoffs at 26-12, while New England is five and a half game out at 23-16.
EAST ALL-STARS
Pos.
Name
Team
P
Jodie Cox
New York Juggernaut
P
Danielle Henderson
New England Riptide
P
Peaches James
New York Juggernaut
P
Brandee McArthur
Akron Racers
P
Jamie Southern+
Akron Racers
C
Ashley Courtney
New England Riptide
C
Ryan Realmuto
New York Juggernaut
C
Jenny Topping *+
Akron Racers
INF
Lyndsey Angus
New England Riptide
INF
Crystl Bustos *
Akron Racers
INF
Kristin Johnson
Akron Racers
INF
Carri Leto
New York Juggernaut
INF
Nicole Trimboli
Akron Racers
INF
Natasha Watley *+
New York Juggernaut
INF
Kellie Wilkerson *+
New England Riptide
OF
Iyhia McMichael
Akron Racers
OF
New York Juggernaut
WEST ALL-STARS
Pos.
Name
Team
P
Lauren Bay **
Chicago Bandits
P
Lindsay Chouinard
Chicago Bandits
P
Jennie Finch *+
Chicago Bandits
P
Amanda Freed *+
Texas Thunder
P
Christa Williams
Texas Thunder
C
Selena Collins
Chicago Bandits
C
Stacey Nuveman *+
Arizona Heat
INF
Clare Burnum
Texas Thunder
INF
Jaime Clark *+
Chicago Bandits
INF
Vicky Galindo +
Chicago Bandits
INF
Lovieanne Jung *+
Arizona Heat
INF
Tairia Mims-Flowers *+
Arizona Heat
OF
Jessica Mendoza *+
Arizona Heat
OF
Kim Nesloney
Texas Thunder
OF
Anne Steffan
Chicago Bandits
OF
Kristen Zaleski
Texas Thunder