Rebellion makes Elkins No. 1 pick
Prior to the National Pro Fastpitch draft, Pennsylvania Rebellion manager Craig Montvidas said the priorities were pitching, hitting and speed.
The Rebellion addressed those issues Thursday night in Nashville, site of the NPF Draft.
“We’re pretty happy,” said Rebellion manager Craig Montvidas. “Everyone looks good on paper. We had a plan and we followed it.”
Lexi Elkins, a 5-10 power-hitting catcher from Louisiana-Lafayette, was the Rebellion’s first pick. Elkins hit 17 home runs and drove in 41 in 29 games this season.
The speed came in the second round, when the Rebellion selected Allexis Bennett, an outfielder from UCLA who has 11 stolen bases in 15 attempts this season.
And the pitching came in Round 3, when the Rebellion took Chelsea Wilkinson of Georgia. The right-hander has 147 strikeouts in 132 innings and owns an impressive 20-2 record with a 1.80 ERA.
“Elkins is a good power hitter,” Montvidas said. “She had an injury to her thumb. It’s a four-week injury and she is going into the third week with it. That just means she’s a little more rested. She doesn’t strike out much. We’re real happy to get her.”
The Rebellion added infield help with the second pick in the third round with Chaley Brickey of Kansas. In Round 4, the Rebellion went for more speed, taking Lindsey Stephens. The outfielder has a good mix of power (7 home runs, 29 RBI) and speed (11 of 13 stolen bases).
The fifth round brought another speedster in Brittany Gomez of Iowa State. The infielder has 20 stolen bases in 25 tries.
“Bennett might have been our No. 1 choice, but we didn’t think Elkins would be there (for Round 2),” Montvidas said. “We have people who can really run.”
The Rebellion had back-to-back picks in the sixth round and they chose a pair of infielders: Kayla Winkfield of Mississippi State and Bianka Bell of LSU. Winkfield has the speed – 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts – and Bell the power – seven home runs and 42 RBI.
This was the second time the Rebellion had the No. 1 pick in the draft. Heading into their first season in the NPF, the Rebellion picked Dallas Escobedo. The hard-throwing right-hander out of Arizona State struggled in her first season, going 1-11 with a 5.83 ERA.
Last year, Escobedo showed improvement, going 2-9 with a 3.40 ERA. She had 54 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings.
The first selection by the Rebellion last season, pitcher Miranda Kramer, was injured for most of the season and pitched just 24 innings. She went 2-5 with a 4.75 ERA.