Apr 2, 2015 3 min read

If the Pennsylvania Rebellion hope to improve on last season’s 9-39 regular season record, then this worn out sports cliche has to be true.

The Rebellion had to hit it out of the park with their eight selections in the National Pro Fastpitch Draft, held Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.

At first look, it appears that the Rebellion addressed the issues they had last season that resulted in such a poor record: pitching and speed.

It was slow, base-to-base offense that lacked consistent power hitters to produce runs. Outside of right-hander Sarah Pauly, the Rebellion did not have a starting pitcher on which they could rely.

Last year’s draft selections, for the most part, underwhelmed on the field. Right-handed pitcher Dallas Escobedo, the No. 1 pick in the draft, had some good moments, but more bad ones as she transitioned to a higher-skilled league.

Their second-round pick, Nebraska catcher Taylor Edwards, was the most productive, but she was traded to Chicago this winter. Third-round pick, Bryana Walker, joined the team late and fifth-round pick, Nicole Morgan, played sparingly and is no longer on the roster.

First-year manager Craig Montvidas brought two members of the Dutch National Team when hired, including right-hander Dagmar Bloeming, but made pitching and speed a priority.

Left-hander Miranda Kramer, the Rebellion’s first selection in Wednesday’s draft, was the first of three pitchers taken. Two more – Emily Weiman of North Carolina State and Emma Johnson of Kent State – were taken in the fifth round. Kramer and the two right-handers share a common trait in that they have been hard-throwing strikeout pitchers in college.

Montvidas also wanted to improve team speed, which should not be hard to do. The bar was set low. The Rebellion stole just 10 bases in 17 attempts in a league where runs are often produced on a walk, stolen base, groundout and sacrifice fly.

Shelby Davis, an outfielder from Oklahoma State, and Maddie O’Brien, a shortstop from Florida State, both second-round picks, should help. Davis stole 64 bases heading into her senior season, and O’Brien has speed and power.

The goal for the Rebellion is to build a team that can win a championship. But in the short term, the Rebellion should be shooting for closing in on the USSSA Pride, which despite winning the NPF championship last year, managed to secure the first two picks in the draft. The Pride picked Lauren Chamberlain, a slugging first baseman from Oklahoma, with the first pick and followed it with infielder Shelby Pendley, who also is from Oklahoma, at No. 2.

The Rebellion have 30 players on a roster that is allowed to hold 23, so some players are competing for their careers. That won’t happen right away because some of these picks aren’t expected to join the Rebellion until after the NCAA postseason. By then, the Rebellion will have a good idea whether they can better last year’s record.

Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com.