STARKVILLE – In the final week of the WPF season, Annie Willis made a statement to prove she belongs in the professional ranks.

Willis shined in five outings over the Smash It Sports Vipers’ final six games, throwing a total of 8.1 scoreless innings while striking out 16 and walking just one. Along the way, she tossed her first professional no-hitter with a career-high nine strikeouts in a four-inning, run-rule victory.

The Huntsville, Alabama, native finished the season with the second-best ERA in WPF at 2.06, trailing only Team USA legend Monica Abbott (0.00) of the USSSA Pride, who threw 20 fewer innings.

Willis recorded the final two outs of a 13-4 win over the Pride on Monday. She then picked up the win on Tuesday in a 6-0 ballgame with two innings of one-hit ball while striking out six. On Wednesday, she added a three-up-three-down inning on 11 pitches before dealing her complete-game no-hitter on Thursday. Willis had Friday off, but she returned to the circle to record two outs in the middle of a 6-3 victory.

Fa Leilua pinch hit and came around to score in Thursday’s win for the Vipers. She also collected a pair of walks in the season’s final week to give her 10 for the year, which ranked sixth in the league.

Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) is a professional softball league founded by USA Softball, USSSA and Smash It Sports. WPF replaces the former NPF and showcases the best athletes in softball.  The Smash It Sports Vipers and the USSSA Pride played a series of exhibitions across the country this summer as the inaugural season will focused on highlighting the league’s launch and attracting new fans and partners.

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HailStateSB.”