Former UT softball player Janae Jefferson leads Texas Smoke to national softball title
A year after finishing at Texas as one of its all-time softball greats, infielder Janae Jefferson has led the Texas Smoke to the Women’s Professional Fastpitch League national title.
In their first season, the Smoke won the championship with a 14-2 victory over the USSSA Pride in Florida on Sunday to complete the sweep in the best-of-three series. Jefferson, the league’s season most valuable player, also earned MVP playoff honors after batting better than .500 in the championship series with six runs, a home run and a stolen base.
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Smoke shortstop Maddy Grim delivered a big game in the finale, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Autumn Pease, the WPF pitcher of the year, earned the win with a seven-inning complete-game shutout.
Founded two years ago, the WPF is the only professional softball league in the United States. The Smoke, the newest WPF franchise, played a 36-game schedule with Concordia University in Northwest Austin hosting all of the Smoke’s home games. The Smoke is owned by former major league baseball player Brandon Phillips and professional wrestler Jade Cargill.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Texas softball star Janae Jefferson helps team win championship
