Maddy Grimm Selected by Akron Racers in NPF Draft
4/24/2017 10:52:00 PM | Softball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kent State senior Maddy Grimm was selected in the fifth round of the National Pro Fastpitch League (NPF) draft by the Akron Racers on Monday (April 24). The Racers used the 23rd overall pick on Grimm, who is the third Kent State player to be selected in the NPF draft.
"We are very proud of Maddy and extremely excited for her to have the opportunity to continue her softball journey after college," said Kent State head coach Eric Oakley. "She is one of the best hitters in the country and a next-level athlete whose defense and base running set her apart from your typical power hitter. It is exciting that Maddy is the newest member of the Kent State Athletics' roster of pro athletes, and I know that she will continue to represent Kent State well."
The Stahlstown, Pa. native will have an opportunity to continue playing the game professionally just down the road from where she spent her collegiate career and will feel at home on the diamond inside Firestone Stadium, which hosts the Mid-American Conference Softball Championships.
A three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mideast Region selection, Grimm will go down as one of the top sluggers in MAC history and currently ranks second all-time in home runs (65), RBIs (183) and slugging percentage (.773). She trails only former Ball State standout Jennifer Gilbert, who will be her teammate with the Racers. Over the weekend, Grimm tied the conference record for walks (123) and ranks third in runs scored (161).
In her senior season, Grimm is batting .343 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. She has been walked 41 times, including 20 intentional walks, and leads the MAC in slugging percentage (.852) and on-base percentage (.526).
Grimm joins former Kent State standouts Emma Johnson and Brittney Robinson as the only players in program history to be drafted by the NPF. Both were fifth-round picks with Johnson being taken by the Pennsylvania Rebellion in 2015 and Robinson by the Racers in 2007. Although not drafted, Golden Flashes Carla Brookbank, Kim Hamilton and Jessica Toocheck also played for the Racers
The NPF College Draft features four rounds of five selections and one round of six selections for a total of 26 draftees in the 2017 rookie class. Due to NCAA regulations, an active college student-athlete may not sign with her respective franchise until their 2017 college season is over.
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee 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). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women's fastpitch softball since 2002.
