| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for United States | ||
| Women's Softball | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | Beijing 2008 | Softball |
Monica Cecilia Abbott (born July 28, 1985) is an American athlete who pitched for the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004-2007. 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.
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 sTop 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.[1]
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Abbott was born in Santa Cruz, CA 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).
Abbott pitched for the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004-2007.
On April 21, in Abbott's 33rd game started of the season, Abbott 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.[1]
On October 16, 2007, Abbott won the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year award for Team Sports athletes.[1][2]
After the conclusion of her senior season, Abbott went on to find success at both the professional and international levels.
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.
On February 2, 2009, Abbott announced her signing with Toyota Motor Corporation on a six-month contract to play professional softball in Japan.
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | Sh | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
| 2004 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 32.0 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 0.44 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4.00 |
| 2006 | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == | == |
| 2008 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 71 | 0.56 |
| TOTALS | 13 | 1 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 76.0 | 35 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 125 | 1.07 |
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | Sh | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
| 2004 | 45 | 10 | 59 | 47 | 44 | 24 | 4 | 352.0 | 165 | 72 | 52 | 57 | 582 | 1.03 |
| 2005 | 50 | 9 | 69 | 56 | 47 | 34 | 3 | 392.0 | 162 | 37 | 29 | 45 | 603 | 0.52 |
| 2006 | 44 | 10 | 62 | 51 | 42 | 25 | 4 | 345.2 | 186 | 64 | 47 | 48 | 531 | 0.95 |
| 2007 | 50 | 5 | 63 | 52 | 45 | 29 | 5 | 358.1 | 136 | 36 | 35 | 63 | 724 | 0.68 |
| TOTALS | 189 | 34 | 253 | 206 | 178 | 112 | 16 | 1448 | 649 | 209 | 163 | 213 | 2440 | 0.787 |