Aug. 12, 2016
AUBURN, Ala. - Three recent graduates of Auburn University have taken their talents to the professional ranks of softball in the National Pro Fastpitch league (NPF). Angel Bunner, Emily Carosone and Jade Rhodes have been instrumental in their teams' success thus far in the 2016 season.
Bunner, a 2012 graduate, has pitched in 10 games for the Chicago Bandits, starting nine contests. The Fairless Hills, Pa. native holds the second-best ERA on the team with a 3.55 mark in 45.1 innings pitched. Bunner has accumulated 25 strikeouts and has a win to her name.
In her career on The Plains, Bunner put up a 1.53 ERA during the 2011 season, which ranks as the third-lowest in a single season in program history. Her career win total of 44 is positioned as the seventh-highest in Auburn history.
Fellow Bandits player, Carosone, has seen action in 28 games with 25 starts in the field. The product of Orlando, Fla. has amassed 16 hits, including three doubles, and has 10 RBI to go along with a .413 on-base percentage. Carosone also leads the team with 11 hit by pitches and has swiped three bases.
Carosone holds numerous career records at Auburn, including hits (285), runs scored (267), games started (251) and hit by pitches (85). This past season, the infielder tied for the most games started in a season with 70 and was a key cog in a lineup that smashed program records in runs scored (556), RBI (499) and hit by pitches (68).
Rhodes, a player for the Scrap Yard Dawgs, holds a .333 batting average with two extra-base hits, including one roundtripper and a game-winning, two-RBI double. Rhodes has maintained a .778 slugging percentage to pace the club. Rhodes and the Scrap Yard Dawgs currently sit in second place with a 29-19 record overall and have won their last four contests.
In her four-year career with the Tigers, Rhodes drilled 46 career home runs, ranking second all-time. She also ended her career with the fourth-most RBI with 179. The Sarasota, Fla. native launched the second-highest totals in home runs in a single season with 20 and RBI with 74 in 2016.
The NPF wraps up its 2016 season on Aug. 23.