NPF Force Announces Retirement of Players
Allentown, Pa- The Philadelphia Force is sad to announce the retirement of several players. Retiring from the game they love are players Raquel “Rocky” Spencer, Kellie Wilkerson, Savannah Long, Jenna Hall, Ashley Smith, Kristen Miller, and Sharonda McDonald. The Force thanks these players for all of their contributions both on and off the field for both the team and the NPF.
“This year will be an exciting one for the Philadelphia Force, however it will be without several players who have either retired or taken the year off for one reason or another. Notably, we will not have Kellie Wilkerson, Ashley Smith, Jenna Hall, Sharonda McDonald or Rocky Spencer,” stated Tom Kleinman, owner/GM of the Philadelphia Force.
Kleinman continues to state, “All four have retired from active playing. We wish Kellie and Jenna good fortune as they are both Assistant Coaches for NCAA Division I schools. Rocky has entered Graduate school in Colorado and Ashley Smith graduated from the Univ. Of Michigan Engineering program and is starting a great job in Colorado. They will all be missed.”
Rocky Spencer just ended her fourth year in the NPF after joining the Force as a utility player in 2007. She saw 12 at bats during the 2008 season, ending with a .083 batting average and .167 slugging percent.
Kellie Wilkerson ended the 2008 season as the league leader in batting average with an average of .407 (46-for-113). Tied for eighth in the league with 22 RBIs and lead the Force with a .549 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .492. Wilkerson was a NPF All-Star in 2008 and All-NPF selection at first base in 2007.
Jenna Hall leaves after 3 seasons in the NPF splitting time for the Force between first base and designated player in 2008. Hall ended the season with a .217 batting average with 19 RBIs in 115 at bats. She set personal season bests with 26 hits, 15 RBIs, and 3 homeruns in 111 at-bats in 2007.
Ashley Smith ends her third year as a catcher with the Force with a .184 batting average, two runs, and nine hits. During the 2007 season, Smith set a career high in at bats with 72. One of her highlights was when she beat the Michigan Ice with an eighth-inning walk-off single on August 8, 2007
Sharonda McDonald was drafted by the Force in 2007 as an outfielder. She was named a 2008 NPF All-Star and was a 2007 All-NPF selection. Had a batting average of .299 at the end of the 2008 season. McDonald stole a club-high 16 bases and was tied for most runs scored with 26. In the June 18th game against New England, she went 3-4 with three stolen bases and two runs scored.
“We will also miss Savannah Long and Kristen Miller who have elected for one reason or another not to play this year,” says Kleinman.
Savannah Long was drafted eighth overall by the Force in 2008 as an infielder after earning many accolades during her senior year at Oklahoma, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Seeing 109 at bats in her rookie season, she averaged .248 with a slugging percent of .321.
Kristen Miller joined the Force in 2008 as a catcher for her rookie season in the NPF after graduating from Arizona State, where she was second on the team in home runs (16) and boasted a .636 slugging percentage. In her one season with the Force, she had 75 at bats for a batting average of .187, with 14 hits, including one homerun, and 4 RBIs with 3 runs scored.
