The Akron Racers were a women's softball team based in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

. In 2018 they moved to Cleveland and were renamed the

Cleveland Comets The Cleveland Comets were a women's professional softball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded by General Manager, Stephen Dunn. They moved to Cleveland from Akron, Ohio, in 2018. The Comets played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch Nati ...

. The team was started by Joey Arietta in 1999 to participate in the

Women's Pro Softball League National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

(WPSL). From 2004-2017, they have played as a member of

National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

(NPF).

History

The Akron Racers became the first Midwest franchise to begin play in the WPSL in 1999. The league suspended play in Orlando and assigned the Wahoos roster to the Racers. In 2000, the league consolidated sending the Georgia Pride team to Akron. The team was renamed the Ohio Pride. Both teams began sharing Firestone Stadium In their first year the Racers made it to the championship of the WPSL, but lost to the Tampa Bay FireStix. The WPSL suspended operations in 2001; the Racers was the only team of the four 2001 teams to revive when the league reformed as the NPF in 2004. In 2005 the Racers beat the

Chicago Bandits The Chicago Bandits were a women's professional softball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. Since the 2005 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). The Bandits won the 2008 NPF championship, defeating the Washington ...

to win the NPF championship. From 2004 to 2008, the Akron Racers have compiled an all-time win–loss record of 149-94. Crystl Bustos was named manager in October 2009, replacing Barb Sherwood. The Racers upset the highly favored Chicago Bandits in the 2014 NPF Championship Series in Hoover, AL in the best two-of-three to move on to face the USSSA Pride. The Racers and Pride battle for eighth innings before the Pride pushed across a run on the bottom of the eighth inning to take the 1-0 advantage. The Racers could not hold off the Pride in game two dropping the 8-3 decision. The Racers grabbed Coach of the Year honors (Brian Levin & Dustin Combs), Offensive Player of the Year (Nerissa Myers) and Jennie Finch Award (Kelley Montalvo). Five Racers were named to the All-NPF Team including Myers, Montalvo, Rachele Fico and rookies Jill Barrett and Ashley Thomas.

2015

Of their selections in the 2015 NPF Draft, the Racers signed Griffin Joiner of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, Shellie Robinson of USC Upstate, and Megan Low of UTSA.

2016

Rawlings awarded their first Gold Glove to a female in 2016, and the Racers' AJ Andrews was the initial recipient.

15th Anniversary Impact Honorees

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, a milestone marking them as one of the longest-running pro female sports franchises, the Racers announced the would be naming 30 members of a Racers' "Impact" team. These 30 players are an all-star collection of players throughout the Racers' 15 years, chosen by a panel evaluating those who had the most impact on the team. The Impact honorees were made public one at a time on the Racers' website. Following is the full List of 2016 Akron Racers IMPACT Honorees

2017

Citing a desire to focus on his position as coach of the Belmont Bruins softball team, Brian Levin stepped down as the Racers' head coach. The Racers' record was 4-5 on June 16. The Racers finished the regular season in third place, and were swept by the Scrap Yard Dawgs in the first round of the playoffs.

General managers

* Joey Arrietta (-present)

All-time head coaches

Season-by-season

, - ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, , 34, , 32 , , 0 , , 2nd place WPSL , , Lost to Virginia Roadsters in WPSL Semifinals , - ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, , 15 , , 17 , , 0 , , 3rd place WPSL , , Did not qualify , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, , 39 , , 21 , , 0 , , 2nd place

, , Lost to NY/NJ Juggernaut in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, , 36 , , 10 , , 0 , , 2nd place

, , Won NPF Championship , - ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, , 29 , , 17 , , 0 , , 3rd place

, , Lost to Connecticut Brakettes in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, , 26 , , 17 , , 0 , , 2nd place

, , Eliminated by Rockford Thunder in Game 3 , - ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, , 19 , , 29 , , 0 , , 5th place

, , Did not qualify , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, , 26 , , 14 , , 0 , , 2nd place

, , Lost to Rockford Thunder in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, , 24 , , 25 , , 0 , , 3rd place

, , Lost to USSSA Pride in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, , 22 , , 17 , , 0 , , 2nd place

, , Lost to

in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, , 14 , , 30 , , 0 , , 4th place

, , Lost to USSSA Pride in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, , 16 , , 32 , , 0 , , 3rd place

, , Lost to USSSA Pride in Game 2 of NPF Championship Semifinals , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, , 24 , , 24 , , 0 , , 3rd place

, , Lost to USSSA Pride in NPF Finals , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, , 22 , , 26 , , 0 , , 3rd place

, , Lost to

in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, , 22 , , 28 , , 0 , , 4th place

, , Lost to USSSA Pride in NPF Semifinals , - ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, , 26 , , 24 , , 0 , , 3rd place

, , Lost to Scrap Yard Dawgs in NPF Semifinals , - ! WPSL Totals , , 49, , 49, , 0 , colspan="2", , - ! WPSL and NPF Totals , , 394 , , 363, , 0 , colspan="2", , - ! NPF Totals , , 345, , 314 , , 0 , colspan="2",

Notable players

* Crystl Bustos (1999, 2005, 2006)

Retired numbers

The Racers have retired four numbers:

Current players

References

External links

Akron Racers
* {{S-end Softball teams in Ohio National Pro Fastpitch teams Sports in Akron, Ohio Sports clubs and teams established in 1999 1999 establishments in Ohio