Published: July 05, 2009 01:36 am      

PRO SOFTBALL: Jeff’s Nord back in the spotlight with NPF’s Thunder

It’s a bit like a comic book for Shannon Nord — mild-mannered elementary school teacher by day, professional softball superstar by night.

Something like that.

“That’s part of the reason I do it,” said Nord, a standout at both Jeffersonville High School and the University of Louisville. “It’s good for the kids to see. It’s so the kids in Southern Indiana see that you don’t have to play on the West Coast to be good.”

When school dismissed at Shelby Elementary School in Louisville, where Nord teaches kindergarten, she readied herself for a little more than a summer of leisure. Instead, Nord packed up and headed off to join the rest of the Rockford Thunder to test herself against some of the world’s top players.

The Thunder is part of the five-team NPFL — National Pro Fastpitch League — an organization derived from the first pro softball league begun in 1976, which lasted only four seasons.

With the advent of the NCAA-sanctioned Women’s College World Series in 1982, softball found itself with more exposure than ever and enjoying a new-found popularity. The buzz grew until years of planning turned into a pro softball league in 1997. That organization, the WPSL, featured four teams and acheived national renown and telecasts on ESPN2 for much of its run.

In 2002, th WPSL was rebranded into its current form and now the WPF, with teams in five cities for 2009, is expected to continue its expansion with more teams in 2010.

That ongoing growth has finally provided a place for players like Nord, still in their athletic primes but without a place to continue their careers. Upon graduating from U of L, Nord had settled into her career as a teacher and was ready to let the athletic life go once and for all.

“After graduation, you have to come to terms with life after college,” she said. “I went into teaching and never really thought (playing again). You get into you career and you concentrate on that. I was playing here or there, but I thought all that was over.”

Nord, of course, isn’t alone in bringing hope that players from Southern Indiana could one day find national acclaim and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best the United States produces. And it was a chance meeting with a future teammate that brought her back into the athletic fold.

Jamie Davison, a Floyds Knobs native and star at the University of Evansville, caught on with the Thunder after an open tryout in 2007 in which she was one of only two players to earn a roster spot. Preparing for her third season as an infielder with Rockford, Davison ran into Nord at a wedding and let her know there was an opportunity to join the NPF.

Nord secured a try-out of her own and came to terms with the Thunder, making the transition from teacher to teammate of Davison and stars like Olympic-team member Cat Osterman, the ace of the Rockford pitching staff.

A 27-year-old rookie, Nord has been installed in the outfield, where some of the old touch has come back. She has appeared in 10 games for the 9-6 Thunder, which is currently a game in front of Akron for second place behind Chicago in the NPF standings. Nord is hitting .273 in 11 at-bats, scoring two runs with one RBI.

“The talent you see day-in and day-out is unbelievable,” she said. “(In college) some teams have good pitchers, some of them don’t, but here you see a great pitcher every day. We’ve got a great group of players and a great level of talent.”

Davison, in her third season, is likewise seeing plenty of action. She is hiting .167 in 24 at-bats with two runs scored, an RBI and a home run. She has homered in each of her three seasons and, in 2007, hit a home run that took the Thunder into the NPF championship game.

The NPF format is to play a five-game series with the league’s other four teams twice, with play running until late August. Nord says she will likely have to leave the team a little early to come home and prepare for the beginning of classes.

Until then, she’ll soak up the life — that of a professional athlete — that she thought would elude her, taking the Thunder’s bus to games in Akron, Chicago and Philadelphia. The only flight comes when the Thunder visits the USSSA Pride, which plays its home games in Florida. She’ll also soak up the salary, though Nord says that she isn’t compelled to quit her day job anytime soon, at least until the fledgling league grows into its markets and expands them.

For now, she’ll continue with her double life.

“It’s just so much fun,” Nord said. “I’ve gotten to catch Cat in the bullpen and face Moncia Abbott. I just enjoy what I’m doing. I enjoy playing and being competitive and doing what I can to help the team. It’s been so exciting meeting new people and playing with the best athletes in the country.”



Sound familiar?

If you think the name Rockford sounds familiar, you probably aren’t alone. That was the name of Geena Davis’ squad in the popular 1992 movie, “A League of Their Own.”

While the Thunder have a different name than the movie’s Rockford Peaches, the team embraces its heritage. Nord reports that several members of the original Peachers — a team in a woman’s professional league that began when many male players were fighting in World War II — are season-ticket holders to Thunder games.

Nord also took part in an exibition in which the Thunder wore uniforms inspired by those of the Peaches in the film. More details are available at thunderprofastpitch.com.



NPF Standings

Shannon Nord’s Rockford Thunder are currently second in the NFP standings to the Chicago Bandits, with whom they will meet in a five-game series this week. The Bandits are led by Jennie Finch, one of the biggest softball stars in the country.



Chicago Bandits 15-4

Rockford Thunder 9-6

Akron Racers 8-7

USSSA Pride 4-11

Philadelphia Force 3-11