National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) announced the Canadian Wild will sit out the 2020 NPF season due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Canadian Wild, based out of Marion, Ill., were scheduled to open the NPF season on May 28. A 20+ game season was set to deliver Softball Canada to the doorstep of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“Our greatest priority continues to be the health and well-being of the athletes and staff members of our teams through this unprecedented and challenging time,” commented NPF Commissioner, Cheri Kempf.  “With half the Olympic field participating in the NPF, we knew that 2020 would be a unique scheduling year for the league, but what we could not foresee was that our shining asset of global diversity would become an insurmountable complication due to the pandemic of COVID-19. We will continue to examine the potential for abbreviated competition in 2020 and certainly look forward to the return of both the Canadian Wild and the Aussie Peppers in 2021.”

“We are very disappointed that we will be unable to compete in the NPF in 2020, however travel, safety and logistical concerns, as result of the COVID-19 virus, have made it impossible for us to join the League this summer,” stated Hugh Mitchener, CEO of Softball Canada. “The NPF and the other teams have been so supportive of our involvement and played a major role in our growth as a team last year. We were so fortunate to have partnered with the Southern Illinois Miners in 2019 and so appreciated our support in Marion, Illinois. We remain hopeful of joining our softball friends again in 2021.”

NPF announced last month, a delay to the 2020 season, originally scheduled to begin April 10. The league plans to update 2020 scheduling plans for its 17th season on May 1. 

-- Courtesy of NPF