McCARTHY HEADS LPFA

Mentium Athletics press release

Tom McCarthy set to lead the Ladies Professional Fastpitch Association (LPFA) Tour as its first President & CEO.

 

Atlanta, GA---Mentium Athletics and the LPFA Tour are proud to announce that Tom McCarthy of Progressive Sports Management, Inc. has agreed to become its first President & CEO, effective immediately.  Well known and respected for managing the professional careers of numerous NFL and Olympic champion athletes through Progressive Sports Management, Inc., McCarthy, has focused the last several years representing some of the greatest female professional athletes, including Lisa Fernandez and Dr. Dot Richardson (1996, 2000 & 2004 Olympic softball gold medalists) and Misty May (2004 Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist). "I am honored and excited to be leading the charge for the LPFA Tour.  After many years developing opportunities for star athletes, I am thrilled to be directing a business team with the purpose of creating and promoting an enduring professional fastpitch platform,” McCarthy said.  “Today’s fastpitch softball player has the skills and character for girls to emulate and the marketability for corporations to participate."

 

Experiencing the growth in women’s sports firsthand, the advancement of youth fastpitch softball and the rapid and continued skill development of Olympic softball players, McCarthy’s mission is to extend the reach and commercial viability of professional fastpitch softball.  McCarthy is a pioneer in the representation and marketing of female athletes.  He believes female professional athletes have a strong platform as role models.  This is shown by corporate America’s increasing desire to have female athletes endorsing their products and services.  His aim is to continue that pattern. 

 

Breaking down the barriers for female softball players within corporate America became a huge initiative for McCarthy, in representing fastpitch softball’s two greatest players, Dr. Dot Richardson and Lisa Fernandez.  McCarthy, Richardson and Fernandez created many “firsts” in the softball industry.  Their work lead manufacturers to brand private label bats, gloves, cleats, batting gloves, sweatbands and kneepads with their likenesses at most major retail stores.  This, in turn, helped launch a boom in female specific products.   Today, it has grown into a multi-million dollar industry.

 

About the LPFA Tour

 

The LPFA Tour festival weekend brings the world’s best professional fastpitch softball players together with amateur communities across the United States.  During each festival weekend players, coaches and staff will incorporate youth and coach instruction, player mentoring and corporate endorsement into their schedule of games.

 

“Play Like A Girl”

 

Mentium Athletics, LLC, was created as a unique, broad based service company for the limited liability companies of Mentium Events, LLC and Hardball Warehouse, LLC. Within the creation of Mentium Athletics, the principles are allowed to create, implement, maintain, and manage new concepts, as well as offer additional investment opportunities with their multi-conceptual business approach to their overall business plans.  Inventory within the company includes, but is not limited to the areas of: Management & Consulting, Products and Endorsements, Real Estate & Leasing and licensing of Instructional / Training Facilities.

 

In April of 2004, Mentium Athletics finalized negotiations to create the Ladies Professional Fastpitch Association, LLC, (LPFA, LLC). Mentium Athletics will provide management services to the Company.

 

SPY NOTE: LPFA has announced 13 players in addition to their original eleven:

LPFA Players

Nicole Barber

Amber Burgess

Rachel Countryman

Courtney Dale

Shawna Feldt

Lisa Fernandez

Nicole Giordano

Keira Goerl

Jennifer Olds

Claire Sua

Phelan Wright

 

 

 

 

Tour Cities

Tour Dates

Time

Location

Attractions

Polk County, Florida

April 21-24, 2005

TBA

Diamond Plex

 

Richmond, Virginia

May 26-29, 2005

Memorial Day Weekend

TBA

Virginia Sports Complex

 

Prescott, Arizona

June 2-5, 2005

TBA

Ken Lindley Park

 

Stockton, California

June 9-12, 2005

TBA

University of the Pacific

 

Chattanooga, Tennessee

September 1-5, 2005

Labor Day Weekend

TBA

Frost Stadium

 

Covington, GA

TBA

TBA

Turner Lake

 

 

 

 

     

 

Congratulations to the following girls who have earned a spot on the 2005 LPFA Tour

We are excited to have them on the tour and look forward to partnering with them to propel the sport of womens professional fastpitch.

Kaila Holtz, P

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Kara Pierce, P

University of Kansas

Kasey Whitehead, P

Mississippi State University

Lauren Anderson, P

Gabrielle Rendon, SS/2B

California University of PA

Colorado State-Pueblo


Ricki Walker, 1B/3B

Colorado State

Brandey Weed, OF/2B

Rider University

Courtney Weed, OF

Rider University

Emily Price, SS/2B

University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill

Bridget Fournie, OF

Illinois State

Monica Garza, OF

Galveston Jr. College

Tarleton State University

Jessie Richardson, OF

Western Kentucky University

Shannon McKeon, C

University of Georgia

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

 

END

 

 

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