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Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr was selected by the Philadelphia Force in the first round of the 2007 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft, held last week in Denver, Colo.
DeBuhr was the eighth overall pick and the third pitcher selected. A native of Beatrice, Neb., DeBuhr was one of eight Big 12 players drafted among the 27 total picks.
Players selected in the NPF draft will be permitted to pursue any available roster spot on their assigned team after completing their college season. To be eligible for the draft, each player had to be a senior however being does not affect a player’s remaining collegiate eligibility.
One of 50 players named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list, DeBuhr is a two-time All-Big 12 and All-Midwest Region selection as well as an All-America candidate this season. In fact, each of the other seven first-round selections have earned at least one All-America honor in their career.
Among the Nebraska career leaders in several pitching categories, DeBuhr is 3-1 with a 0.82 ERA this season and owns a pair of two-hit shutouts against top-25 foes.
Should DeBuhr choose to sign with the Force at the conclusion of this season, she would add to Nebraska’s growing legacy in the NPF. Three former Huskers competed in the league in 2006, all for the Chicago Bandits. Nicole Trimboli and Anne Steffan are both all-star selections who played a major role in the Bandits posting the league’s best regular-season record, while Steffan was a 2006 first-team All-NPF pick after finishing second in the league in hitting.
Former All-American right-hander Peaches James joined Trimboli and Steffan as a member of the Bandits last summer, but missed most of the season with an injury. James was also an all-star as Nebraska produced three picks in the lone season the league held an all-star game, trailing only UCLA for the most all-star selections among any college or university in the country.
The six NPF teams competing in 2007 include the 2006 defending champions New England Riptide, the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Rockford Thunder, the Washington Glory - the league’s newest team - and the Philadelphia Force which will be operating under new ownership.