Michele Granger

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Michele Granger
Medal record
Women's softball
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1996 Atlanta Team competition

Michele Granger (born January 15, 1970) is an American, former collegiate four-time First Team All American, left-handed softball pitcher originally from Placentia, California. She played four seasons, over 5 years, for the California Golden Bears from 1989-1993. She is a champion at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics for Team USA softball. She currently holds numerous pitching records for the Bears and ranks top-10 in several career categories all-time in the NCAA Division I.

Valencia High School

Granger was a standout pitcher from 1985–1988 and still holds national top-10 records for career ERA (0.10), no-hitters (36) and strikeouts (1,635). On two occasions she also struck out a single game record 21 batters over 7 innings pitched during her 1986 and 1987 campaigns. Against La Mirada High School on June 2, 1988, Granger ended her career tallying 40 strikeouts in the Southern Section 3-A softball semifinals.[1]

As a sophomore, Granger would also make her first Team USA roster during the summer of 1986 and competed at the World Championships under head coach Ralph Raymond.[2] She remained a member until after the 1996 Olympics.

University of California-Berkeley

1989:
On February 16, Granger tossed her first career no-hitter against the New Mexico State Aggies, a 8-0, 5-inning perfect game. Owing to an inflammation in her pitching hand, Granger withdrew for the season midway to recover.

1990:
Resuming her freshman season, Granger twirled 5 no-hitters, led her team with a career best 0.35 ERA and posted the best strikeout ratio with the most strikeouts in the NCAA to garner All American status and All-Pac-10 honors, leading the conference in wins and strikeouts.[3][4]

1991:
Granger threw four no-hitters and one perfect game. She broke and set school season records for wins (33), strikeouts (463) (both led the Pac-10) and shutouts (25), all of which now rank second all-time for the Bears. And she maintained her hold on the best strikeout ratio, improving by two strikeouts per inning from the previous year, and strikeouts overall for that year and was again honored All American and All-Pac-10.[5][6]

For one of her no-hitters, Granger set a school and NCAA record for strikeouts in a single 7-inning game when she whiffed 21 batters in a 3-0 win over the Creighton Bluejays on March 22, 1991.

1992:
Adding 6 more no-hitters, two perfect games and all-season honors, Granger would break her own shutout record by pitching 26, which is the Junior Class record and was second all-time only to Debbie Nichols' NCAA Division I total of 36 set in 1988.[7]

That year Granger led her team to the only Women's College World Series appearance of her career. She responded by shutting out the USF Bulls in their opening game but eventually suffered their second loss 2-0 to defending champions the Arizona Wildcats.[8]

1993:
As a senior, Granger posted 8 no-hitters (one a perfect game) and for the final time repeated all-season honors. For her fourth All American honor, Granger, along with Lisa Fernandez became the first NCAA Division I players to be named to the First Team in four consecutive seasons.[9] She broke her own strikeout total with 484, which led the conference and nation—as she had all three years prior—and set a new NCAA season record, bettering Lisa Ishikawa's 1984 total of 469.[10] On February 22, she broke Shawn Andaya's career strikeout record in a 8-0 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.[11] Granger would reach a career record total of 1,640 and currently remains inside the top-10 all-time.

On March 28 Granger threw her 85th career shutout over the Sacramento State Hornets to claim a new NCAA Division I record. At the close of the season she would have a grand total of 94, now second best all-time. Granger set another single game record in a 12-inning battle with the Oregon Ducks on March 30, posting a career best 26 strikeouts to crack the record of 25 held by Debbie Doom. This single game record now stands second all-time in the NCAA.

Granger would depart with California Golden Bears records in wins, innings pitched, shutouts and strikeouts and still claims her school dominance in those categories.[12] She holds the Pac-10 innings and shutout records, as well as strikeouts for both her single game record totals.[13] Finally, she ranks second all-time in shutouts, 6th in innings, 9th in strikeouts and 15th in ERA overall (10th for a four year career) in the NCAA Division I.[14]

1996 Olympics

Granger prepared to compete in the inaugural softball tournament to be held in Atlanta, Georgia while working and living in Alaska. After completing the exhibition tour, she would throw the first pitch ever in the Olympics in a 10-0 win over Puerto Rico. Granger struck out 10 and only gave up two hits and a walk.[15]

On July 30, she would post her second win in the gold medal game in which Team USA defeated China 3-1, with Granger pitching the first 5 plus innings, giving up a run, a walk and striking out 8 batters. In 16-innings, Granger had two wins, gave up two earned runs and collected 25 strikeouts, all while three-months pregnant.[16][17] Granger was second on the team in strikeouts and innings pitched.[18]

1998 and after

Granger was inducted in the California Golden Bears Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.[19]

She nabbed her second and third Hall of Fame entries on the same night, November 9, 2006, by being inducted into the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and International Softball Federation (ISF) Softball Halls of Fame.[20]

She worked on the coaching staff of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team and currently volunteers at Sierra College while coaching high school softball.[21]

Statistics

California Golden Bears

YEAR W L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA
1989 2 2 4 4 4 2 0 25.0 11 8 2 4 37 0.56
1990 24 14 42 37 36 18 0 277.2 114 27 14 68 327 0.35
1991 33 10 47 41 40 25 3 312.1 114 33 19 83 463 0.42
1992 30 11 42 36 35 26 0 266.2 100 27 21 76 329 0.55
1993 30 15 48 44 40 23 1 321.0 135 31 23 88 484 0.50
TOTALS 119 52 183 162 155 94 4 1202.2 474 126 79 319 1640 0.46

Team USA

YEAR W L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA
1996 2 0 3 3 1 1 0 16.0 11 3 2 5 25 0.87

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=3230
  2. ↑ http://www.usasoftball.com/folders.asp?uid=157
  3. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/Softball%20Archived%20Stats/1990/1990%20SB%20DI%20Stats%20right.pdf
  4. ↑ https://nfca.org/index.php/awards/awards-history/4196-1990-di-all-american-teams
  5. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/Softball%20Archived%20Stats/1991/1991%20DI%20SB%20stats.pdf
  6. ↑ https://nfca.org/index.php/awards/awards-history/4188-1991-di-all-american-teams-
  7. ↑ https://nfca.org/index.php/awards/awards-history/4180-1992-di-all-american-teams-
  8. ↑ http://web1.ncaa.org/ncaa/event.do?championship=400015&division=400015400012&event=400423
  9. ↑ https://nfca.org/index.php/awards/awards-history/4171-1993-di-all-american-teams-
  10. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/Softball%20Archived%20Stats/1993/1993%20SB%20DI%20final%20state.pdf
  11. ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138264/index.htm
  12. ↑ http://issuu.com/calbears/docs/1011cal_rb_softball?mode=a_p
  13. ↑ http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62274
  14. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/SB_Records/2012/DivI.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf
  16. ↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/michele-granger-1.html
  17. ↑ http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v2.pdf
  18. ↑ http://www.usasoftball.com/uploads/2008%20olympics/1996pitchingstats.pdf
  19. ↑ http://www.calbears.com/genrel/043098aaa.html
  20. ↑ http://httwww.asasoftball.com/communications/getStory.asp?nid=1304
  21. ↑ http://placerherald.com/detail/171184.html


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