Monica Abbott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monica Abbott |
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Abbott in 2017
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| Team USA – No. 14 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: July 28, 1985 Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| 2007, for the Tennessee Diamonds | |||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Medal record | ||
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| Women's softball | ||
Representing  United States |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 2008 Beijing | Team |
| Silver | 2020 Tokyo | Team |
| ISF Women's World Championship | ||
| Gold | 2006 Beijing | Team |
| Gold | 2010 Caracas | Team |
| Gold | 2018 Chiba City | Team |
| World Cup of Softball | ||
| Silver | 2005 Oklahoma City | Team |
| Gold | 2006 Oklahoma City | Team |
| Gold | 2007 Oklahoma City | Team |
| Gold | 2009 Oklahoma City | Team |
| Gold | 2010 Oklahoma City | Team |
| Gold | 2018 Irvine | Team |
| Gold | 2019 Columbus | Team |
| Pan American Games | ||
| Gold | 2007 Rio de Janeiro | Team |
| Gold | 2019 Lima | Team |
| World Games | ||
| Gold | 2022 Birmingham | Team |
Monica Cecilia Abbott, born on July 28, 1985, is a famous American softball player who has now retired. She was an amazing pitcher for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in college. After college, she played professionally in the NPF league and in the Japan Softball League.
Monica also played for Team USA from 2005. She helped her team win silver medals at the 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics (which happened in 2021). She holds many records in NCAA Division I softball, including the most wins, strikeouts, and shutouts.
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Early Life and School
Monica Abbott was born in Santa Cruz, California. She grew up in Salinas, California. She went to North Salinas High School from 1999 to 2003. Her parents are Bruce and Julie Abbott. She has three siblings: Jessica, Jared, and twins Bina and Gina.
While in high school, Monica led her team, the Vikings, to win three CIF Central Coast Section Division I titles. She was known for striking out over 300 batters each season. She won many awards, including the Cal-Hi Softball Athlete of the Year. She was also named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) for her high school, county, and section.
College Softball at Tennessee
Many colleges wanted Monica to play for them. She chose the University of Tennessee because of how well they treated their female athletes. She played for the Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004 to 2007. She studied communications while there.
Freshman Year Success
In her first year, Monica became Tennessee's first All-American player. She won 45 games and had a very low earned run average (ERA) of 1.03. She completed 44 games and had 24 shutouts. She even pitched four no-hitters and one perfect game! Monica struck out 582 batters in 352 innings. She was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. She was also one of only three pitchers in NCAA history to get 500 strikeouts in a single season.
Sophomore Year Achievements
As a sophomore, Monica was again named a first-team All-American. She won 50 games, breaking her own record for single-season wins. Her ERA was even lower at 0.52. She also had 603 strikeouts. This made her the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to have two seasons with over 500 strikeouts. She helped her team reach the Women's College World Series (WCWS) for the first time.
Junior Year Highlights
In her junior year, Monica continued to be a first-team All-American. She led Tennessee to the WCWS again. She had 531 strikeouts, making it her third year in a row with over 500 strikeouts.
Senior Year Records
Monica had an incredible senior year. She set an NCAA record by striking out 724 batters in one season. She pitched 23 no-hitters and six perfect games. She was named the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She also won the Honda Award, which is given to the best college athletes in their sport. She led her team to their first SEC title and to the CWS championship game.
College Legacy
Monica Abbott set many NCAA career records. She had 189 wins, 2,440 strikeouts, 112 shutouts, and pitched 1,448 innings. She was the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to have over 500 strikeouts in all four of her college years. She was later inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame.
Playing for Team USA
Monica had great success playing for the US National Team between 2005 and 2010. She helped Team USA win four World Cup of Softball championships and three Canada Cup titles. She also won gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 ISF Women's World Championships. In 2007, she pitched for the US team that won a gold medal at the Pan American Games.
Monica took a break from the US National Team in 2010 but returned in 2018. She helped Team USA win another World Championship. She was also part of the teams that won the 2018 and 2019 USA Softball International Cup, the 2018 and 2019 Japan Cup, and the 2019 Pan American Games.
2008 Olympic Games
Monica was chosen as one of three pitchers for the 2008 Olympic team. She made her Olympic debut on August 11, 2008. She pitched a perfect game against the Netherlands, striking out 8 batters. This was the first perfect game ever pitched in the Olympics!
She helped Team USA win against Japan in pool play and in the semi-final game. Team USA played Japan again in the gold medal game but lost. Monica finished the Olympics with a very low ERA of 0.29 and a 3–0 record.
2020 Olympic Games
Softball returned to the Olympics in 2020 (which was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic), and Monica was part of the team. She started three games for Team USA against Canada, Australia, and Japan. She also came in as a relief pitcher in other games, including the gold medal match against Japan.
She pitched 20.1 innings and had 31 strikeouts without giving up any earned runs (0.00 ERA). Team USA lost to Japan in the gold medal game, earning Monica and her teammates a silver medal. After the tournament, she was named to the WBSC All-Olympic softball team.
Professional Softball Career
Monica Abbott has been a part of five winning NPF (National Pro Fastpitch) teams. She was named MVP in all those championship games.
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Monica started her professional career in the NPF on August 2, 2007. In her first game, she struck out 18 batters. Her team, the Washington Glory, won the 2007 NPF Championship. Monica pitched a no-hitter in the final game.
She later played for the USSSA Pride and the Tennessee Diamonds. From 2011 to 2015, she played for the Chicago Bandits. On July 23, 2015, she pitched her second perfect game in the NPF. In 2016, she signed a big contract with the Scrap Yard Dawgs.
Monica is one of the most successful pitchers in NPF history. She has won five Pitcher of the Year awards. She also holds the NPF career records for wins, strikeouts, no-hitters (6), and shutouts.
Japan Softball League (JSL)
In 2010, Monica joined the Japan Softball League (JSL). In her first season, she led the league in strikeouts and ERA. She was named the league MVP and helped her Toyota team win the JSL title. She pitched a perfect game in that final. The next year, she threw a no-hitter in the championship game, leading Toyota to win back-to-back titles. Toyota won JSL titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Monica was named MVP five times in the JSL.
Other Interesting Facts
Monica Abbott always wears the number 14. However, when she played at Tennessee, she wore #7, and that number was retired by the university to honor her.
Monica started the Monica Abbott Scholarship fund. This scholarship helps female athletes who are good leaders in school and in sports. She also hosts clinics to teach young softball players across the United States. She teaches about 16 clinics each year. She is also planning an online academy to reach even more young players.
Her fans are called "Moniacs"!
Career Records and Achievements
Monica Abbott holds many impressive records in softball.
- She is in the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest softball pitch ever. She threw a pitch at 77 miles per hour on June 16, 2012, during an NPF game.
College Records
- She holds the NCAA Division I records for:
* Most career wins (189) * Most career shutouts (112) * Most career strikeouts (2,440) * Most strikeouts in a single season (724) * Most career innings pitched (1,448.0)
- She is the only player to have more than one season with 50 wins (she had two).
- She is the only player to have four seasons with over 40 wins.
- She is the only player to have four seasons with over 500 strikeouts.
- She pitched 23 no-hitters and 6 perfect games in her college career.
Professional Records
- She holds the career records for wins, strikeouts, no-hitters, and shutouts in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league.
- In Japan, she was a 6-time champion and a 5-time MVP.
See also
In Spanish: Monica Abbott para niños
