Orlando Squeeze Participate in Major League Pickleball Premier Level Draft

OFFICIAL RELEASE

Orlando, FL – July 14, 2023 – The Orlando Squeeze announced the results of its inaugural participation in Major League Pickleball’s (MLP) 2023 Season Two Premier Level Draft on July 12.

Following a draft lottery, the Squeeze were awarded the third overall pick, which the team traded along with its second-round pick of 22 overall to the DC Pickleball team for picks five and 20. 

With the fifth pick, the Squeeze selected rising pickleball star Anna Bright, a 23-year-old from Boca Raton, Florida. Bright currently sits at number 2 in the 2023 PPA standings for women’s & mixed doubles, plus number 11 for singles. With a Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) of 5.94, she has already won 13 PPA medals this year and helped the NY Hustlers to the number 4 ranking position for Season One. Previously, Anna was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 Season One draft, and the second woman taken.

“Anna’s energy on the court and on the sidelines as an encourager for her teammates made her an obvious choice for us as an early pick in this draft. With that said, the team element has been a blast,” said Orlando Squeeze owner and GM Ryan DeVos. “Starting to understand team balance and chemistry is really important, and we believe this draft has enabled us to do so effectively at a higher level. Anna’s stellar podcasting skills and growing social media presence are just an added bonus.”

With its second and third round picks, Orlando selected two accomplished male competitors in Andrei Dăescu and Zane Navratil. The Squeeze completed its roster by adding another up-and-coming female star in Rachel Rohrabacher. Orlando swapped its third and fourth round picks with Atlanta prior to selecting these players.

“It’s been amazing,” DeVos concluded. “I think some of the excitement around this league is building things on the fly with a group of like-minded individuals, and we couldn’t be more ready for the season ahead.” 

The new squad will make its tournament debut during the MLP’s Atlanta tournament from Sep. 21-24, which will kick off Season Two of the 2023 MLP calendar. Full draft results and more details on the upcoming season can be found at www.majorleaguepickleball.net.

About Major League Pickleball

Major League Pickleball (MLP) is the premier team league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. MLP is committed to perpetuating the sport's larger role in society and permeating every facet of pickleball’s business, marketing, and community relations. With iconic team owners, a co-ed team format, an innovative draft, easy to understand scoring, groundbreaking broadcast quality, and the highest prize money events in pro pickleball, MLP’s goal is to elevate and grow the sport in everything it does. For more information on Major League Pickleball, visit MajorLeaguePickleball.net and follow Major League Pickleball on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.