Sherrill shines in summer WPF league

Sydney Sherrill, a former Florida State standout and 2018 national champion, served as a volunteer coach on the Grand Canyon staff for last season's historic 47-13 team and was promoted to assistant coach in July while competing in the Women's Professional Fastpitch league.

Sherrill played for the Oklahoma City Spark in the inaugural season of the WPF, which was founded by USA Softball, the U.S. Specialty Sports Association and Smash It Sports.
Sydney Sherrill OKC Spark

"To be able to compete at the professional level inspires me to keep pushing this game forward," Sherill said. "Softball has taught me so many lessons, and I believe giving back to it by competing in every way I can is what this game deserves. My favorite parts of the summer were playing in front of my entire family every weekend and representing my city across the world. I am grateful for the owners of the Spark for allowing me to compete in my hometown, doing what I love."

Sherrill received All-WPF recognition and earned WPF Defensive Player of the Year at the league's first-ever award night, boasting a .972 fielding percentage and six double plays on the season as the Spark's third baseman. The All-WPF team consisted of eight position players, four pitchers and seven at-large selections. Awards included Coaching Staff of the Year, Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Stolen Base Leader.

"Earning Defensive Player of the Year this past summer meant so much to me for many reasons," Sherrill said. "I have always taken a lot of pride in my defense, and I have grown so much through my years as a player in the infield."

The Oklahoma City Spark concluded its debut, eight-week, season in the WPF with a 21-14 record in addition to a pair of nonleague wins at the Royal Spark Challenge in London and two international games against Great Britain's senior national team while achieving remarkable milestones and garnering widespread acclaim from fans, Sydney Sherrill OKC Spark

media and fellow athletes. The team was founded alongside fellow WPF organizations Smash It Sports Vipers, USSSA Pride and,Texas Smoke, expanding opportunities for women to achieve their professional goals.

"We are immensely proud of what the Spark has achieved in its first season," Spark owner Dr. Tina Floyd said. "Their dedication, talent and the way they've embraced our community have truly ignited a spark of excitement among fans and supporters. This is just the beginning of an incredible journey, and we can't wait to build upon this success in the seasons to come."

Sherrill, a three-time All-American at Florida State, finished her five-year collegiate career as one of the most decorated Seminoles softball players in history. She set the school record for games played (283) and the FSU single-game record for home runs in a game with three against North Carolina State. She notched 43 home runs and 209 RBIs during her career, and her .382 career batting average also ranks 10th all-time in the FSU record books. She holds the school and ACC records for career doubles (82) as well.

The Moore, Oklahoma, native also earned a slew of ACC awards, including ACC Freshman of the Year (2018), ACC Tournament MVP (2018), ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2019, 2021, 2022) and All-ACC first -team honors (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022). Her stellar defense earned her the inaugural Rawlings Gold Glove award at the third base position in 2022.

In her final season at Florida State, Sherrill started all 61 games at third base with a .321 batting average and finished the year 11 for 11 in stolen bases.

"Adding Sydney to this team is a great move," Spark head coach Amber Flores said. "I watched her play at Florida State and have followed her career closely. She plays the game with such skill and athleticism. She is an easy choice for an infield leader and will be great for the Spark."

Sherrill, who contributed immensely to GCU's 2023 WAC Tournament championship title and NCAA tournament win against No. 2 UCLA this year, now begins her work as a full-time Lopes assistant coach in preparation for next season, which will begin in February.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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