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Former Pirate Jessup ‘catches’ a big break
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — Her cannon of an arm, solid bat and overall leadership helped land Krista Jessup in the pros.
That’s a rare thing for a softball player, as there are only some 110 players in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League. Jessup, a former standout with the East Carolina Pirates, took advantage of her opportunity to play with the Chicago Bandits this summer.
“I know this is a great opportunity for me,” Jessup said. “It’s a once in a lifetime chance. Not many people get to do it. It’s definitely a big deal to me.
“It was amazing. I never thought I was going to get to go there. Every game was just incredible to me. Even practices were great. It was a whole new level, a whole new environment and atmosphere. The fans wanted autographs, too, so it was a lot of fun.”
Jessup concluded her career at ECU ranked fifth on the school’s all-time hits list with 230. Her 120 RBIs ranks sixth best all-time.
She hit .328 her senior season, leading the team in batting average, doubles (13), stolen bases (14) and slugging percentage (.444). While she shone on offense, she may have been even better defensively. Jessup threw out over 44 percent of base stealers (19-of-43) her senior season.
She didn’t have much time to relax following her senior season as she joined the Bandits for their second year of existence. The NPF has only been around for three years. The league consists of seven teams: the Bandits, Akron Racers, Arizona Heat, Connecticut Brakettes, New England Riptide, Philadelphia Force and Texas Thunder. The salary cap is about $100,000 for each team.
Jessup got an opportunity to play for the Bandits after being scouted during her senior season. Since the NPF only has four rounds during a draft, most players are brought in basically through free agency.
Jessup immediately knew that was playing on a whole new stage.
“The environment and the intensity level (are different),” Jessup said. “Here (at ECU), we didn’t have that many fans. The intensity is high here but, it’s like, you have All-Americans at every position in the pros. It’s a fun game to watch. I sat on the bench a lot, but even from watching from the bench, there were some plays that were just amazing.
“We averaged about 1,500 fans a game. After the games, you signed autographs for like 20 minutes. That was just a shock to me at first.”
Jessup enjoyed being a part of a Chicago team that went 30-12, winning the regular season but falling to the Riptide 1-0 in nine innings in the playoffs. The Riptide went on to win the championship with a 2-0 nod over Connecticut.
“It was disappointing because I thought we had the best team,” Jessup said. “To play one game and say, ‘Oh, you’re the champion after one game,’ I don’t think that’s very fair. They should probably do a series, like they do in baseball. Everyone was disappointed because we won the regular season, and we figured we’d win the championship.”
Jessup saw action in a handful of games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. Besides playing catcher, she also saw some time as an outfielder.
In her first pro season, Jessup hit .179 with four RBIs.
“I think I did okay,” Jessup said. “I think I could have done a lot better. We won the regular season and we still had two series to play, so I got to play a lot. I didn’t really take advantage of the times I got to bat.
“I was nervous a lot. I knew when it was my opportunity that I had to get the job done. At the beginning I did really well and then dropped off. I was hitting .290 for a while.”
Of her five hits in 28 plate appearances, she had two doubles. One of the doubles proved to be the first hit of her professional career. It happened when the Bandits were featured on ESPN.
“(The highlight) was probably my first hit, which was on TV,” Jessup said with a laugh. “It was nuts. There were so many people there and it was on ESPN. All my family and friends were watching it.
“I was so nervous. My teammates were making fun of me because I never let my walk-out song play all the way because I would just walk up and get in the (batter’s) box. They joked that I waited until we were on TV to get my first hit. It was great.”
Her first hit was a shot to left-center field.
“It was a relief to finally get a hit,” she said. “I wanted everybody there to think I belonged, too. All these players were from Top 25 schools and I didn’t want them to think that I couldn’t do anything. I think I established that I could play in the league.”
While Jessup was thrilled about her opportunity, she said her parents, Terry Armstrong and Richard Jessup, were probably even more excited.
“They have both been very supportive,” she said. “I think it was a bigger deal for them than it was for me. When we played on TV, they would throw big parties. I know they’re very proud of me.”
After being a star at ECU, Jessup had to get acclimated to sitting on the bench much of the time.
“I think you just have to realize where you’re at,” Jessup said. “Here, I got to play for four years and that was a good experience for me. I knew going up there (to Chicago) that I was going to be stepping into a totally new environment. I just took what was given to me.
“Another thing with there is, catchers call their own game. They call their own pitches. Here (in college), the coach told me the pitches to call. (The Bandits) mainly wanted me to learn up there for the year. I just tried to learn as much as I could.”
Jessup backed up Selena Collins, who played at Texas A&M, and Mackenzie Vandergeest, caught for Jennie Finch at Arizona.
Finch, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time National Collegiate Softball Player-of-the-Year, was actually one of Jessup’s teammates on the Bandits. However, Finch didn’t play much because she recently had a baby and was getting ready to play for the national team. However, Finch left her mark with Jessup.
“I caught her in the bullpen a couple times,” Jessup said. “It was amazing catching her. I couldn’t believe it at first. Even in the bullpen, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m catching Jennie Finch.’ You can’t act like that, of course, when you’re on her team.
“Everybody from here (at ECU) was like, ‘Get her autograph; get her autograph,’ and I was like, ‘Jennie, can I get your autograph for somebody?’ It was kind of embarrassing. But she’s really down to earth and really nice. She was really personable.”
Jessup is back on campus at ECU finishing up her degree. In the beginning, she said it was tough returning as a student.
“At first it was because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m still in school,’” Jessup said. “I have 12 hours left. It’s still fun being in a college environment. I still have some time to figure out what I want to do, what job I want to get.”
Jessup plans to move to Orlando and begin working in the hotel industry after graduation, while also giving private softball lessons. She’ll return to Chicago next summer for her second year with the Bandits.
“I’m excited already,” Jessup said. “I just want to improve on my numbers from last year. They’ll keep you if you produce, so I’m hoping to produce some numbers and stick around for years to come. I know exactly what I need to do to get better.”
Jessup caught a nice break. Now the talented catcher plans to make the most of her opportunity.
That’s a rare thing for a softball player, as there are only some 110 players in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League. Jessup, a former standout with the East Carolina Pirates, took advantage of her opportunity to play with the Chicago Bandits this summer.
“I know this is a great opportunity for me,” Jessup said. “It’s a once in a lifetime chance. Not many people get to do it. It’s definitely a big deal to me.
“It was amazing. I never thought I was going to get to go there. Every game was just incredible to me. Even practices were great. It was a whole new level, a whole new environment and atmosphere. The fans wanted autographs, too, so it was a lot of fun.”
Jessup concluded her career at ECU ranked fifth on the school’s all-time hits list with 230. Her 120 RBIs ranks sixth best all-time.
She hit .328 her senior season, leading the team in batting average, doubles (13), stolen bases (14) and slugging percentage (.444). While she shone on offense, she may have been even better defensively. Jessup threw out over 44 percent of base stealers (19-of-43) her senior season.
She didn’t have much time to relax following her senior season as she joined the Bandits for their second year of existence. The NPF has only been around for three years. The league consists of seven teams: the Bandits, Akron Racers, Arizona Heat, Connecticut Brakettes, New England Riptide, Philadelphia Force and Texas Thunder. The salary cap is about $100,000 for each team.
Jessup got an opportunity to play for the Bandits after being scouted during her senior season. Since the NPF only has four rounds during a draft, most players are brought in basically through free agency.
Jessup immediately knew that was playing on a whole new stage.
“The environment and the intensity level (are different),” Jessup said. “Here (at ECU), we didn’t have that many fans. The intensity is high here but, it’s like, you have All-Americans at every position in the pros. It’s a fun game to watch. I sat on the bench a lot, but even from watching from the bench, there were some plays that were just amazing.
“We averaged about 1,500 fans a game. After the games, you signed autographs for like 20 minutes. That was just a shock to me at first.”
Jessup enjoyed being a part of a Chicago team that went 30-12, winning the regular season but falling to the Riptide 1-0 in nine innings in the playoffs. The Riptide went on to win the championship with a 2-0 nod over Connecticut.
“It was disappointing because I thought we had the best team,” Jessup said. “To play one game and say, ‘Oh, you’re the champion after one game,’ I don’t think that’s very fair. They should probably do a series, like they do in baseball. Everyone was disappointed because we won the regular season, and we figured we’d win the championship.”
Jessup saw action in a handful of games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. Besides playing catcher, she also saw some time as an outfielder.
In her first pro season, Jessup hit .179 with four RBIs.
“I think I did okay,” Jessup said. “I think I could have done a lot better. We won the regular season and we still had two series to play, so I got to play a lot. I didn’t really take advantage of the times I got to bat.
“I was nervous a lot. I knew when it was my opportunity that I had to get the job done. At the beginning I did really well and then dropped off. I was hitting .290 for a while.”
Of her five hits in 28 plate appearances, she had two doubles. One of the doubles proved to be the first hit of her professional career. It happened when the Bandits were featured on ESPN.
“(The highlight) was probably my first hit, which was on TV,” Jessup said with a laugh. “It was nuts. There were so many people there and it was on ESPN. All my family and friends were watching it.
“I was so nervous. My teammates were making fun of me because I never let my walk-out song play all the way because I would just walk up and get in the (batter’s) box. They joked that I waited until we were on TV to get my first hit. It was great.”
Her first hit was a shot to left-center field.
“It was a relief to finally get a hit,” she said. “I wanted everybody there to think I belonged, too. All these players were from Top 25 schools and I didn’t want them to think that I couldn’t do anything. I think I established that I could play in the league.”
While Jessup was thrilled about her opportunity, she said her parents, Terry Armstrong and Richard Jessup, were probably even more excited.
“They have both been very supportive,” she said. “I think it was a bigger deal for them than it was for me. When we played on TV, they would throw big parties. I know they’re very proud of me.”
After being a star at ECU, Jessup had to get acclimated to sitting on the bench much of the time.
“I think you just have to realize where you’re at,” Jessup said. “Here, I got to play for four years and that was a good experience for me. I knew going up there (to Chicago) that I was going to be stepping into a totally new environment. I just took what was given to me.
“Another thing with there is, catchers call their own game. They call their own pitches. Here (in college), the coach told me the pitches to call. (The Bandits) mainly wanted me to learn up there for the year. I just tried to learn as much as I could.”
Jessup backed up Selena Collins, who played at Texas A&M, and Mackenzie Vandergeest, caught for Jennie Finch at Arizona.
Finch, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time National Collegiate Softball Player-of-the-Year, was actually one of Jessup’s teammates on the Bandits. However, Finch didn’t play much because she recently had a baby and was getting ready to play for the national team. However, Finch left her mark with Jessup.
“I caught her in the bullpen a couple times,” Jessup said. “It was amazing catching her. I couldn’t believe it at first. Even in the bullpen, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m catching Jennie Finch.’ You can’t act like that, of course, when you’re on her team.
“Everybody from here (at ECU) was like, ‘Get her autograph; get her autograph,’ and I was like, ‘Jennie, can I get your autograph for somebody?’ It was kind of embarrassing. But she’s really down to earth and really nice. She was really personable.”
Jessup is back on campus at ECU finishing up her degree. In the beginning, she said it was tough returning as a student.
“At first it was because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m still in school,’” Jessup said. “I have 12 hours left. It’s still fun being in a college environment. I still have some time to figure out what I want to do, what job I want to get.”
Jessup plans to move to Orlando and begin working in the hotel industry after graduation, while also giving private softball lessons. She’ll return to Chicago next summer for her second year with the Bandits.
“I’m excited already,” Jessup said. “I just want to improve on my numbers from last year. They’ll keep you if you produce, so I’m hoping to produce some numbers and stick around for years to come. I know exactly what I need to do to get better.”
Jessup caught a nice break. Now the talented catcher plans to make the most of her opportunity.
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