National Pro Fastpitch player Clare Burnum will be guest blogging for RINGOR  in a series called "Life as a Pro Softball Player" .  During the 2010 NPF Season she will offer readers an interesting insight into the everyday life of a professional softball player. 

About Clare Burnum
Clare is 3B/UT for the Akron Racers and is entering her 7th season as a pro.  In the offseason, Clare is the Head Softball Coach for Canby High School in Canby, Oregon.  A 2-Time NPF All-Star, Clare's softball resume is impressive.  In addition to 7 pro seasons, she was a 3-time All PAC-10 Infielder at Oregon State and an ASA All-American.  Clare's passion for softball is contagious.  She and RINGOR look forward to sharing her experiences with you this summer.  Stay tuned!

Playoff Wrap-Up

Well, my high school team made a great run at the 6A title this season. I am very proud of my kids and how they rallied together during the playoffs. It was an exciting time and the support we had from the parents, school staff and the community was amazing. We played two great games and despite losing to Grants Pass High School in the quarterfinals, we had a wonderful run.

Grants Pass was a very tough team. They went on to play Sunset High School at Oregon State University for the state title. Grants Pass beat Sunset 2-1 in 11 innings in what turned out to be a very close game.  

I am hopeful that my large group of returning players gets that desire to continue to go deep into the state playoffs and don't just settle for "making the postseason". I am sad to see some of my kids go as they are graduating but I wish them the best of luck.  I know they will be very successful in college.

Akron Bound

With the completion of the high school season, I had five days to get myself ready to jump onto a plane and head to Akron. I am very excited to report to the Racers and get started with my new teammates.  I have never played with many of them but I feel good about the kinds of players we have in Akron.  In my opinion, this team has a lot of heart. They are all players who are committed to this game and just love being out on the softball field.

Crystl Bustos picked me up at the airport at midnight when I arrived in Ohio and took me to my apartment.  Today, after getting settled in, I hit the field for some practice.  I was excited to finally get some groundballs.  I also took some front toss and switched on and off for reps with outfielder Lisa Modglin.  Afterwards, we did a lot of equipment management in the locker room.  We got our jerseys, helmets and all other necessary items to hit the road for Nashville.

Looking ahead at our series this week, we face the Tennessee Diamonds, the newest team to join the NPF.  I know Tennessee has Megan Gibson, Monica Abbott, and Samantha Sheeley in the circle. They are all very tough pitchers to face but I look forward to the challenge.

I think that most of the NPF games this season are going to be very exciting.  The talent between teams is fairly equal and I expect there to be some close games and lots of excitement for the 2010 season.