Baylor senior outfielder Jessie Scroggins was selected by the Chicago Bandits as the 15th overall pick in the third round of the National Fastpitch League college draft on Monday evening in Nashville, Tenn.
Scroggins becomes the ninth player selected in the NPF Draft, marking the fourth-straight season that the Lady Bears have had a player selected in the professional softball collegiate draft.
“Thank you to the Chicago Bandits for giving me an opportunity,” Scroggins said. “I’m excited to start off this next part of my career with such a great organization.”
Monday night’s draft featured the five teams participating in the 2018 NPF season, including the USSSA Pride, Cleveland Comets, Beijing Shougang Eagles, Aussie Spirit, and Chicago Bandits.
“Scroggs is one of the most talented athletes I’ve ever coached,” Baylor head coach Glenn Moore said. “This has been a dream of hers for a long time. Baylor Softball is very proud tonight.”
Scroggins recently became the program’s all-time career hits and multi-hit games leader, poised to close the 2018 season as an All-American candidate and the program’s single-season batting average leader.
The Lakewood, Calif., native has been the anchor to Baylor’s defense in centerfield, becoming the first outfielder ever to claim the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, achieving that honor as a junior in 2017.
Scroggins joins former Lady Bear draft picks Harmony Schwethelm (2006), Lisa Ferguson (2007), Chelsi Lake (2007), Ashley Monceaux (2007), Brette Reagan (2009), Kaitlyn Thumann (2015), Heather Stearns (2016), and Lindsey Cargill (2017).
The 2018 NPF schedule runs through the summer, with graduating student-athletes eligible to join the professional organizations upon completion of their senior seasons. The season opener for the Bandits is on May 31 vs. the Cleveland Comets in The Ballpark at Rosemont in Rosemont, Ill., the first facility in the country built expressly for women’s professional sports.
