Lahners Taken By Dallas Charge In NPF Draft
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Washington softball senior Kylee Lahners was selected as the 10th overall pick in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Draft, held Wednesday night at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. The Dallas Charge selected the Laguna Hills, Calif. native with the final pick of the second round.
Seniors in college do not declare for the NPF Senior Draft, but are eligible to be selected by a franchise. That franchise then holds the rights to the player until she has exhausted her collegiate eligibility, at which point she is able to sign with the team and compete for an available roster spot.
Lahners, a 2014 NFCA All-American, was named to the top-50 pre-season watch list for the 2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. With 10 home runs already in 2015, she moved into third all-time in Husky softball history with 48 career home runs.
The senior slugger opened her senior season on an 11-game hitting streak, going 18-for-32, batting .562 with 12 RBI, 13 runs and three home runs. She is currently second on the team with a .417 average while leading the Pac-12 in on-base percentage (.576) and walks (36).
In her junior season, Lahners hit .346 with 17 home runs, and 61 RBI while shattering career-highs in each category. She finished third in the Pac-12 in home runs and fourth in RBI.
The Huskies have now had seven players selected in the NPF Draft, since the NPF (formerly the Women’s Pro Softball League) was formed in November 2002. Lahners joins Victoria Hayward, Kaitlin Inglesby, Bryana Walker, Kimi Pohlman, Nikia Williams and Jenn Salling as Washington players to be selected in the NPF Draft.
Last season, the Huskies three draft picks – Hayward (Pennsylvania Rebellion), Walker (Pennsylvania Rebellion) and Inglesby (Akron Racers) were the most of any school in the 2014 NPF Draft.
Lahners and the Huskies, off to a 31-9 start with a 3-5 mark in the conference, are scheduled to host Stanford tomorrow, Thursday through Saturday at Husky Softball Stadium.
About National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. 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.
