Tennessee legendary pitcher Monica Abbott will be one of eight ex-Vols to join the school’s Hall of Fame later this year.
Abbott, an Olympic gold medal winner and the program’s most-heralded alum, was a four-time all-American during her time in the orange and white and was named the National Collegiate Player of the Year in 2007.
The SEC’s Pitcher of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 2005-2007, Abbott also helped the Lady Vols reach the Women’s College World Series in each of the same years. When her career in Knoxville ended, Abbott held four NCAA career records, including the all-time strikeouts mark with more than 2,400.
Abbott’s career statistics include twenty-three no-hitters and six perfect games, as well as 189 wins in 253 career appearances. Her 724 strikeouts during the 2007 season set a single-season record; she averaged more than two strikeouts per inning through the entirety of the year.
A longtime professional player during and after her Team USA career, 2017 marked Abbott’s second season with the Scrap Yard Dawgs of the National Pro Fastpitch league, where she recorded 213 strikeouts in 115 innings and registered an ERA of 1.10.
The eight-member Hall of Fame class of 2017 will be officially inducted in a ceremony on October 13th. Joining Abbott in the star-studded induction class are Todd Helton (baseball); Justin Gatlin (track and field); Philip Fulmer (football coach); Ray Bussard (swimming coach); Jeremy Linn (swimming); Delisa Walton Myricks (track and field); and General Robert Neyland (football coach & namesake of the Vols football stadium).
