Monica Abbott


Monica Cecilia Abbott is an American, former collegiate 4-time First Team All-American, medal winning Olympian, 8-time pro All-Star, left-handed softball pitcher originally from Salinas, California. She is the pitching Triple Crown career leader for the Tennessee Lady Vols, as well as the Southeastern Conference, where she is also tops in career shutouts, WHIP, innings pitched, strikeout ratio, perfect games and no hitters. Abbott is simultaneously the NCAA Division I leader in wins, strikeouts, shutouts and innings. During her senior season in college, she set the record for the most strikeouts in a Division I softball season. 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. Finally she also holds the career records in wins, strikeouts, no hitters and shutouts for the National Pro Fastpitch, where she was originally drafted #12 overall, and has also played internationally in Japan. Abbott was a 5-time Pitcher of The Year and left the league in 2017 a three-time defending honoree and Cowles Cup Champion and series MVP, which she repeated on three other occasions in 2007, 2009 and 2015. She is currently a member of the independent "This is Us" team as well as Team USA. In 2008, Abbott participated in the Beijing Olympics with Team USA and is slated to be on the roster for the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics.

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, Jared and twins Bina and Gina.

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. During Abbott's career from 2004 to 2007, Alicia Hollowell, Brooke Mitchell, Taryne Mowatt, Angela Tincher and Cat Osterman 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.

Single-game accomplishments

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 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 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.
Abbott debuted in the NPF on August 2, 2007 by striking out a career best 18 batters in a 10-inning victory against the Rockford Thunder. She later matched that total with another personal and league best in 7-innings vs. the Akron Racers on June 24, 2011. Abbott also had a career best shutout streak of at least 67.0 innings, 111 strikeouts, 19 hits and 12 walks for a 0.46 WHIP from July 1-August 11, 2015.
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. Abbott began a career best 18 consecutive games win streak from June 13-August 10, accumulating 10 earned runs, 59 hits, 27 walks and 159 strikeouts for a 0.59 ERA and 0.73 WHIP. That season she would become the second pitcher to win 100 games.
For her career, Abbott won four NPF titles, being named MVP in all those championships. She was also a runner-up in 2009 and 2013. She threw 26.0 innings and gave up 4 runs in the combined games, starting all four and completing all but the 2007 game. For her career she is the most decorated pitcher in the league history with five Pitcher of The Year awards and 8 All-NPF Team selections. Currently, she also holds the career wins and strikeouts crowns along with the no-hitters, shutouts record. She also ranks top-10 in ERA, WHIP, innings and strikeout ratio.

Career statistics

United States National Team

University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers

[National Pro Fastpitch]