University of Tennessee Athletics
MONICA ABBOTT ACHIEVES FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA STATUS
May 27, 2004 | Softball
May 27, 2004
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.
Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) put the icing on a phenomenal freshman season by being announced as a first-team All-American by Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Wednesday night. Joining Arizona sophomore Alicia Hollowell and Stanford's Dana Sorensen on the first unit, the left-hander becomes Tennessee's initial honoree since the program's inception in 1996.
"This is a great day for Monica and Tennessee softball," said Ralph Weekly. "She would be the first to tell you that her success was a team effort and she is fortunate to pitch with the number one defense in the country behind her. Monica remains humble and very much attuned to how she can get better every day. She is a special young woman with a tremendous future in softball for many years to come. Karen and I are proud of Monica and everything she has accomplished in her short time as a Lady Vol."
The current Division I leader in strikeouts (582) and victories (45), Abbott played an integral part in the Lady Vols reaching the NCAA Tournament and winning the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division title for the first time since 1999. Selected as the SEC's Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, the rookie rewrote the school's record book and was among the finalists for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year award. Abbott fired a no-hitter against Saint Mary's in her collegiate debut on Feb. 5 and claimed the first 17 decisions of her career, a span covering from Feb. 5-27. She garnered the league's Pitcher of the Week accolade a record-tying four times and totaled 34 double-digit strikeout efforts on her way to finishing in the top three of 10 different SEC pitching categories.
Abbott established NCAA rookie marks and SEC season records for victories and strikeouts and wound up second on the all-time list for K in a year behind Southern Mississippi All-American Courtney Blades (663 in 2000). She fired 24 solo shutouts, leaving her one back of Jackie Beavers' school record in a career, and will enter next season just 15 strikeouts from Stephanie Humphrey's standard of 596 crafted between 2000 and 2003. Abbott delivered four no-hitters, including a perfect game, seven one-hitters and 13 two-hitters, with a pair coming at NCAA Regionals.
The Lady Vols (55-16) registered a program-best 55 wins and picked up their first triumphs in NCAA play by going 2-2 at Regional No. 6 in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Abbott and sophomore Kristi Durant (Placentia, Calif.) represented the Orange on the all-tournament team. The southpaw will gain more experience this summer by competing on USA Softball's 14-member Elite Team that will compete at the 2004 Canada Cup, the U.S. Champions Cup and other events to be scheduled between June 28 and July 18. She will be the lone student-athlete from the SEC on the squad to be coached by Mississippi State's Jay Miller.
| Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I First Team | ||
| Position | Name | School |
| Pitcher | Monica Abbott | Tennessee |
| Pitcher | Alicia Hollowell | Arizona |
| Pitcher | Dana Sorensen | Stanford |
| Catcher | Kristen Rivera | Washington |
| First Base | Kim Wendland | Georgia |
| Second Base | Caitlyn Benyi | UCLA |
| Third Base | Vicky Galindo | California |
| Shortstop | Christina Clark | Fresno State |
| Outfield | Nicole Barber | Georgia |
| Outfield | Caitlin Lowe | Arizona |
| Outfield | Iyhia McMichael | Mississippi State |
| Designated Player | Wendy Allen | Arizona |
| Utility | Jessica van der Linden | Florida State |
| At-Large | Gina Carbonatto | Pacific |
| At-Large | Autumn Champion | Arizona |
| At-Large | Brooke Mitchell | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| At-Large | Heather Scaglione | Oklahoma |
| At-Large | Jamie Southern | Fresno State |
| Scond Team | ||
| Position | Name | School |
| Pitcher | Keira Goerl | UCLA |
| Pitcher | Casey Hunter | Florida State |
| Pitcher | Kristina Thorson | California |
| Catcher | Jessica Allister | Stanford |
| First Base | Vanessa Iapala | Oregon State |
| Second Base | Veronica Wootson | Florida State |
| Third Base | Phelan Wright | Arizona State |
| Shortstop | Jessica Merchant | Michigan |
| Outfield | Kaleo Eldredge | California |
| Outfield | LaDonia Hughes | LSU |
| Outfield | Kristen Zaleski | Texas State |
| Designated Player | Holly Groves | South Florida |
| Utility | Jessica Beech | Michigan |
| At-Large | Peaches James | Nebraska |
| At-Large | Lauren Lappin | Stanford |
| At-Large | Nicole Motycka | Michigan |
| At-Large | Kristin Schmidt | LSU |
| At-Large | Julie Watson | Cal State Fullerton |
| Third Team | ||
| Position | Name | School |
| Pitcher | Jessica Kapchinski | Texas A&M |
| Pitcher | Kristen Keyes | Auburn |
| Pitcher | Jessica Sallinger | Georgia Tech |
| Catcher | Sara Dean | Auburn |
| First Base | Saskia Roberson | DePaul |
| Second Base | Tiffany Haas | Michigan |
| Third Base | Sara Larquier | Virginia |
| Shortstop | Lauren May | Cornell |
| Outfield | Christen Bedwell | Cal State Northridge |
| Outfield | Megan Ciolli | Notre Dame |
| Outfield | Leslie Klein | LSU |
| Designated Player | Amanda Rivera | Illinois-Chicago |
| Utility | Sarah Martz | DePaul |
| At-Large | Leigh Ann Ellis | South Florida |
| At-Large | Dominique Lastrapes | Washington |
| At-Large | Jackie McClain | Alabama |
| At-Large | Megan Meyer | Seton Hall |
| At-Large | Chelsea Spencer | California |
THE Monica Abbott FILE
Lady Vol Single-Season Records Broken This Year
Appearances (59)*
Victories (45)*&
Complete Games (44)*
Solo Shutouts (24)*
Strikeouts (582)*&
Lowest Batting Average Against (.138)
Consecutive Wins (17 between Feb. 5-27)
No-Hitters (Four)*
Double-Digit Strikeout Games (34)*
Fastest Lady Vol to 20 Victories in a Season
First Lady Vol to 30 Victories in a Season
First Lady Vol to 40 Victories in a Season
Strikeouts Per Seven Innings (11.6) - third in the nation behind Arizona's Alicia Hollowell and UL-Lafayette's Brooke Mitchell
*Leads SEC; & Leads Division I
NCAA Performance
Tennessee had not advanced to NCAA Regionals since 1999, when it went 0-2
Monica fired a two-hit shutout and collected 11 strikeouts against Illinois-Chicago to win UT's opener
Kept the Orange alive with another two-hitter, this time with 10 K, as the squad defeated DePaul, 4-0
Broke Cat Osterman's NCAA mark for strikeouts in a season by a freshman against UIC
SEC Turnaround
Lady Vols were 14-15 in SEC play last season, fourth in the Eastern Division and sixth overall
UT finished 20-8 and took home the East crown for the first time since 1999, finished second overall
Monica was 16-5 in league games with a 1.20 ERA and had 214 K in 145.1 innings with seven solo shutouts and two saves
19 starts - 19 complete games, opponents hit .158 against her
Lady Vols tied the most league wins (20) in the program's existence, set in 1997
Series wins over No. 12 Florida (sweep), No. 14 South Carolina (sweep), No. 23 Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky (sweep), Mississippi State (sweep), Ole Miss (sweep)
Split with No. 3 LSU, which was the only SEC team to advance to the Women's College World Series
Tennessee won just its second Eastern Division title, first since 1999
Team Success
Tennessee had been ranked in one poll is the school's existence prior to Monica's arrival
Rated 25th in the USA Softball/ESPN.com Preseason Poll, the Lady Vols have been ranked every week and are now 10th
Most wins in school history (55), eclipsing mark of 54 established in 1996
Squad was 24-2 on its home turf this season
Abbott by Month
February: 17-1, 0.51 ERA, 14 complete games, eight solo/one shared shutouts, 217 strikeouts in 109 innings, BA .118
March: 13-3, 0.89 ERA, 14 complete games, five solo/three shared shutouts, 175 strikeouts in 110 innings, BA .127
April: 9-2, 1.05 ERA, nine complete games, five solo shutouts, 105 strikeouts in 73 innings, BA .148
May: 6-4, 2.22 ERA, seven complete games, six solo shutouts, 85 strikeouts in 60 innings, BA .178
No-Hit Victims (4)
Threw no-no in first career start, an 8-0 win over Saint Mary's on Feb. 5
Tossed a perfect game at Hawaii, 2-0, on Feb. 7 (only the second perfecto in school's nine-year existence)
Third no-hitter came against Boston University, 9-0, on Feb. 14
Fourth no-hitter came at home versus Liberty, 1-0, on March 26 (first no-hitter in Knoxville by a Lady Vol since 1999)
Seven one-hitters, including a spectacular gem that ousted No. 13 Alabama from its own SEC Tournament on May 15
Thirteen two-hitters, including two at NCAA Regionals (Illinois-Chicago & DePaul)
K Queen
Set an SEC single-game record with 20 strikeouts against Liberty on March 26, struck out the first 11 batters
Set a record in league play with 17 strikeouts against No. 23 Auburn on April 10
On April 21, Monica set the conference's single-season record with her 479th K and leads the nation in that category
Ranks first all-time on the NCAA list for freshmen, now second all-time for K in a campaign
Retired 23 straight Virginia Tech batters, a school-record, en route to a 1-0 shutout in nine innings on April 21
Honors and Awards
Claimed the first 17 decisions of her career
Later put together a 12-game winning streak from March 16-April 3
USA Softball Player of the Week (2/10) - first time a Lady Vol pitcher had been honored, came after her opening weekend
SEC Pitcher of the Week (2/9, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12) - most honors of any pitcher in the league, has achieved Lady Vol career honors by SEC already
Featured in Sports Illustrated on Campus - first non-Lady Vol Basketball player to be cited
edamerica Lady Vol Athlete of the Month (February & April)
All-Tournament, NCAA Regional No. 6 (one of two Lady Vols chosen to the squad - first-ever honors for UT players)
First-Team All-South Region (second Lady Vol pitcher, Buffy Walker earned nod in 1997)
SEC Pitcher of the Year (first for a Lady Vol)
First-Team All-SEC (second pitcher from UT honored, first since Buffy Walker in '97)
SEC Freshman of the Year (first for a Lady Vol)
All-SEC Freshman Team (inaugural year of this squad)
Had won her last 16 starts since a 2-1 defeat at No. 7 Alabama on March 14 before succumbing to No. 9 Georgia on April 24, 5-4, in 10 innings
Was 17-1 at Tyson Park with a 0.23 ERA and has 216 K, 12 solo shutouts, two combined shutouts in 123.1 innings
Lone loss in Knoxville came to No. 3 LSU, 2-1, on March 7
Lady Vol Athlete of the Week (2/10, 3/23, 4/6, 4/13, 5/4) - most of any student-athlete this year
Most Valuable Player, State-Line Classic
Most Outstanding Pitcher, Lady Vol Classic
Most Outstanding Pitcher, Paradise Classic
All-Tournament, Compass Bank Invitational
All-Tournament, New Mexico State Kick-Off Invitational
USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist - one of two freshmen on the list (Caitlin Lowe - Arizona)
USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List - first time a Lady Vol had been recognized
Selected to USA Softball 2004 National Elite Team - only player from the SEC chosen
| NCAA SINGLE-SEASON STRIKEOUT LIST | |||||
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Class | Strikeouts |
| 1. | Courtney Blades | Southern Miss | 2000 | Senior | 663 |
| 2. | Monica Abbott | TENNESSEE | 2004 | Freshman | 582 |
| 3. | Cat Osterman | Texas | 2002 | Freshman | 554 |
| 4. | Brooke Mitchell | UL-Lafayette | 2004 | Junior | 524 |
| 5. | Alicia Hollowell | Arizona | 2004 | Sophomore | 508 |
| 6. | Courtney Blades | Southern Miss | 1999 | Junior | 497 |
| 7. | Cat Osterman | Texas | 2003 | Sophomore | 488 |
| 8. | Michele Granger | California | 1993 | Senior | 484 |
| 9. | Britni Sneed | LSU | 2002 | Senior | 478 |
| 10. | Lisa Ishikawa | Northwestern | 1984 | Freshman | 469 |
| 11. | Danielle Henderson | Massachusetts | 1999 | Senior | 465 |
| 12. | Michele Granger | California | 1991 | Sophomore | 463 |
| 13. | Lauren Bay | Oklahoma State | 2003 | Senior | 451 |
| 14. | Sarah Dawson | UL-Monroe | 1997 | Senior | 446 |
| 15. | Nikki Myers | Florida Atlantic | 2002 | Senior | 437 |
| 16. | Sarah Pauly | Texas A&M-CC | 2003 | Sophomore | 431 |
| 17. | Danielle Henderson | Massachusetts | 1998 | Junior | 430 |
| 18. | Sarah Pauly | Texas A&M-CC | 2004 | Junior | 429 |
| 19. | Amanda Renfro | Texas Tech | 2001 | Senior | 421 |
| 20. | Britni Sneed | LSU | 2001 | Junior | 410 |
| 21. | Michelle Green | Georgia | 2003 | Sophomore | 407 |
| 22. | Nikki Myers | Florida Atlantic | 2001 | Junior | 403 |
| 23. | Melissa Santos | Fairfield | 2002 | Junior | 401 |
| 24. | Jamie Southern | Fresno State | 2002 | Freshman | 400 |
| 25. | Trinity Johnson | South Carolina | 1997 | Senior | 399 |
| NCAA SINGLE-SEASON STRIKEOUT LIST FOR FRESHMEN | ||||
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Strikeouts |
| 1. | Monica Abbott | TENNESSEE | 2004 | 582 |
| 2. | Cat Osterman | Texas | 2002 | 554 |
| 3. | Lisa Ishikawa | Northwestern | 1984 | 469 |
| 4. | Jamie Southern | Fresno State | 2002 | 400 |
| 5. | Shawn Andaya | Texas A&M | 1984 | 395 |
| 6. | Alicia Hollowell | Arizona | 2003 | 394 |
| NCAA SINGLE-SEASON VICTORY LIST | ||||
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Wins |
| 1. | Courtney Blades | Southern Miss | 2000 | 52 |
| 2. | Debbie Nichols | Louisiana Tech | 1988 | 50 |
| 3. | Rhonda Wheatley | Cal Poly Pomona | 1985 | 48 |
| 4T. | Monica Abbott | TENNESSEE | 2004 | 45 |
| 4T. | Brooke Mitchell | UL-Lafayette | 2004 | 45 |
| 4T. | Sarah Dawson | Louisiana-Monroe | 1997 | 45 |
| 5. | Courtney Blades | Southern Miss | 1999 | 43 |
| NCAA SINGLE-SEASON VICTORY LIST FOR FRESHMEN | ||||
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Wins |
| 1. | Monica Abbott | TENNESSEE | 2004 | 45 |
| 2. | Katie Wiese | Oregon | 1989 | 42 |
| 3. | Alicia Hollowell | Arizona | 2003 | 40 |
| 4T. | Cat Osterman | Texas | 2002 | 36 |
| 4T. | Tia Bollinger | Washington | 2000 | 36 |
