Full name Monica Cecilia Abbott Weight 88 kg Name Monica Abbott Nationality American | Role Olympic athlete Height 1.91 m | |
 | ||
College team Tennessee Lady Volunteers Similar People Cat Osterman, Natasha Watley, Jennie Finch, Caitlin Lowe, Tammy Williams Profiles | ||
Monica abbott breaks pineapple off batter s head
Monica Cecilia Abbott (born July 28, 1985) is an American athlete who pitched for the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004 to 2007. In 2008, Abbott participated in the Beijing Olympics with Team USA. On May 4, 2010, she and catcher Shannon Doepking were traded by the Florida Pride to the Tennessee Diamonds in exchange for pitcher Cat Osterman and catcher Megan Willis.
Contents
- Monica abbott breaks pineapple off batter s head
- Monica abbott college sport lecture series
- Early life
- College career
- 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China
- Post college career
- Single game accomplishments
- Season accomplishments
- Career accomplishments
- High school
- Collegiate
- References
During her senior season in college, she set the record for the most strikeouts in a Division I softball season and became the NCAA Division I Softball all-time leader in career wins, strikeouts, shutouts, innings pitched, games started and games pitched. She was the recipient of the 2007 Honda Sports Award for the Top Collegiate Softball Player in the country and was named the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She was also named the 2007 Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year.
Monica abbott college sport lecture series
Early life
Abbott was born in Santa Cruz, California and attended North Salinas High School from 1999 to 2003; her parents are Bruce and Julie Abbott, and her siblings are Jessica (born 1984), Jared (born 1988) and twins Bina and Gina (born 1991).
College career
Abbott pitched for the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004 to 2007.
On April 21, in Abbott's 33rd game started of the season, she struck out her 500th batter of the season, thus becoming the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in all four years of her collegiate career. Before Abbott started her collegiate career, only two pitchers had ever reached the 500-strikeout mark in any season (Courtney Blades and Cat Osterman). During Abbott's career from 2004 to 2007, Alicia Hollowell, Brooke Mitchell, Taryne Mowatt, Angela Tincher (twice) and Cat Osterman (twice more) would end up surpassing the 500-strikeout mark as well.
Abbott finished her college career with significant season awards as the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and the winner of the Honda Award for Top Collegiate Softball Player.
On October 16, 2007, Abbott won the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year award for Team Sports athletes.
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China
Abbott was selected for the final 15-person Olympic squad as one of three pitchers. On August 11, 2008, Abbott made her Olympic debut for Team USA, pitching the final inning (in relief of starter Jennie Finch) of a 5-inning no-hit victory by Team USA over Venezuela. On August 18, 2008, Abbott pitched 5 perfect innings, striking out 8, as Team USA defeated the Netherland 8–0 to extend its Olympic winning streak to 20 games. In its first six matches of the Beijing games, the USA pitching staff (Finch, Osterman, Abbott) had allowed a total of one hit. Team USA finished with a silver medal, losing to Japan in the championship game, which was started by Osterman and finished by Abbott.
Post-college career
On February 2, 2009, Abbott announced her signing with Toyota Motor Corporation on a six-month contract to play professional softball in Japan.
On July 23, 2015, Abbott pitched her second perfect game as a member of the Chicago Bandits, beating the Dallas Charge, 10–0.
On August 3, 2015, Abbott pitched a no-hitter against the Pennsylvania Rebellion, winning 3–0. The pursuit of a perfect game ended in the seventh inning, on a Chicago error and later a walk.
In May 2016, the Scrap Yard Dawgs, a National Pro Fastpitch team, signed Abbott to a six-year contract, believed to be worth $1 million; the contract is believed to be the most lucrative ever paid by an individual American professional franchise to an active female athlete in any team sport.