Angela Tincher and Jenna Rhodes were both named to the All-NPF Team and assistant coach Barb Sherwood led the coaching staff of the year, as announced Wednesday night prior to the league’s championship series.

 

Tincher (Eagle Rock, Va.) represents the Akron Racers as one of two pitchers selected to the All-NPF team. Tincher led the squad with the lowest ERA and picked up 67 strikeouts, which ranked her second among Racers starters in just 59 innings of work. A 2008 All-NPF Team selection, Tincher has been selected to the All-NPF team in back-to-back seasons since joining the NPF in 2008.

 

Rhodes (Broadway, Va.) was an at-large selection at designated player for the Rockford Thunder. In her rookie season for the Thunder, Rhodes finished the regular season third in NPF with 15 stolen bases and was tied for fourth in at-bats with 119. Rhodes also ended the regular season tied for 10th in the league with 29 hits.

 

The Akron Racers coaching staff received The Diamond Sports 2009 Coaching Staff of the Year accolade after Sherwood, the first-year coach, guided the Racers to a second place finish with a 26-14 record, including a 7-3 mark against the first place Bandits. Player-coach Radara McHugh and volunteer assistant coach Shawn Reis rounded out the Racers coaching staff, assisting Sherwood in the 2009 campaign.

 

The league championship series gets underway Thursday at Akron’s Firestone Stadium as the Racers, with Tincher, Sherwood and Kelsey Hoffman, take on Rhodes and the Thunder in a best-of-three semifinal series. The winner of the series gets the winner of the Chicago/Florida series.