NASHVILLE, Tenn. - National Pro Fastpitch announced completed plans today for the 2011 NPF Back to School tour. The NPF Back To School tour will once again be sponsored in part by USSSA with additional support from Major League Baseball. This year’s tour will include 19 games over 17 stops. The tour will once again kick off in Memphis, Tenn. on Friday September 30th against Memphis. 

The NPF Back to School tour was launched in 2010 as a way to introduce the league and its premier athletes to enthusiastic fans of the game all across the United States. In 2010, the Tour made 20 stops and played in front of over 20,000 unique fans. The NPF team of All-Stars is a combination of players from all four of the NPF’s League participants - Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, NPF Diamonds, and USSSA Florida Pride. The team plays exhibition games against college teams from San Diego, Calif. to Daytona Beach, Fla.. 

Players participating on the 2011 NPF Back to School Tour include Olympic medalists Andrea Duran, Kelly Kretschman, Caitlin Lowe; former Canadian Olympic team member Caitlin Lever; former Canadian Olympic team members and NCAA champions Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling; 2010 NPF Pitcher of the Year, Lisa Norris; 2011 All-NPF team members Ashley Charters, Bianca Mejia, Megan Wiggins, Brittany McKinney, and Sam Marder; and NPF Rookie of the Year, Alisa Goler. 

The NPF Tour team will be coached by Christie Bingham. Bingham has been coaching softball for 16 years with much success. Her career in interscholastic coaching saw her earn seven Coach of the Year awards in Memphis, Tenn., enjoy over 600 career victories, post a winning percentage of .780 and develop teams that were ranked in the Top 25 eight times. 

The 2011 tour team will be making many stops for clinics and appearances along their way, with dates already set in Memphis, Tenn., Oxford, Miss., Conway, Ark., Daytona, Fla., Hattiesburg, Miss., Atlanta, Ga., Raleigh, N.C., Corvallis, Ore. and Walnut, Calif. 

The tour will kick off on Friday, Sept. 30 in Memphis and will conclude Saturday Nov. 5th in Walnut, Calif. To get ticket, clinic, or appearance information, please go to the NPF website at www.profastpitch.com or the individual college team sites. 

The complete schedule for the 2011 NPF Back To School tour: 

Sept. 30 - Memphis - First Tennessee Fields; Memphis, Tenn. 
Oct. 1 - Ole Miss - Oxford, Miss. 
Oct. 2 - Central Arkansas - Conway, Ark. 
Oct. 3 - Missouri St. - Springfield, Mo. 
Oct. 4 - Daytona St. - Daytona Beach, Fla. 
Oct. 5 - Florida - Daytona Beach, Fla. 
Oct. 7 - South Carolina - Columbia, S.C. 
Oct. 9 - Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Ala. 
Oct. 10 - Southern Mississippi - Hattiesburg, Miss. 
Oct. 11 - LSU - Baton Rouge, La. 
Oct. 13 - Georgia - Athens, Ga. 
Oct. 15 - North Carolina - Raleigh, N.C. 
Oct. 15 - North Carolina St. - Raleigh, N.C. 
Oct. 22 - Washington - Seattle, Wash. 
Oct. 23 - Oregon St. - Corvallis, Ore. 
Oct. 26 - Portland St. - Portland, Ore. 
Oct. 27 - Oregon - Eugene, Ore. 
Nov. 3 - Oklahoma - Norman, Okla. 
Nov. 4 - San Diego St. - San Diego, Calif. 
Nov. 5 - Mt. San Antonio - Walnut, Calif. 

-Courtesy of the NPF