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September 16, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The city of St. Joseph Parks, Recreation & Civic Facilities Department and Missouri Western State University Athletics Department announced their participation in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) “Back to School – College Tour” presented by USSSA. This event will consist of a group of NPF stars playing an exhibition game against the MWSU Griffon softball team at Heritage Park in St. Joseph on October 1, 2010, at 6pm.
The tour kicked off on September 10 in Memphis, Tennessee, and will wind up on November 15, in Daytona Beach, Florida. There will be over 15 stops in between, most of them at Division I programs, with MWSU being the only Division II university on the 2010 tour.
This is a rare opportunity for sports fans in this area to get up close to elite professional athletes, as well as an opportunity to get more familiar with the Griffon softball team. Several of the professional players are past Olympians and NCAA softball superstars from recent years. Some of those expected to participate at Heritage Park are Cat Osterman, Andrea Duran, Fransesca Enea, Vicky Galindo, and Megan Willis.
St. Joseph native Cheri Kempf, commissioner of the NPF and local softball legend, will be traveling with the team and will be at the ballpark on October 1, as well. Cheri, a former Griffon All American softball player, United States national team player, and current television softball analyst for ESPN, Fox Sports, and Cox Cable, will be available to speak with fans during the event.
The national tour is being sponsored by USSSA. Local sponsors for the St. Joseph event are the city of St. Joseph, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, St. Joseph Softball Board, Midland Empire Sports Association, and Terrible’s St. Jo Frontier Casino.
Admission to the event will be $5 for all ages; children 6 and under will be free. The gates will open at 5pm. In case of rain, there will be an alternate indoor location available for the players from both teams to hold a youth clinic in place of the exhibition game.
For more information, contact Chuck Kempf at 816.271.5517.
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