University of Tennessee Athletics
2007 Softball Roster | SEC Champions | College World Series
Roster
Abbott, Monica
IF/OF
/ Softball2B/SS
/ SoftballP/OF
/ SoftballC/OF
/ SoftballP/OF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballP
/ Softball2B/SS
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballP
/ SoftballC/IF
/ Softball1B/DH
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballUT
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball3B/C
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballC/1B
/ Softball
Jersey Number 7
Monica Abbott
- Height:
- 6-3
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Salinas, Calif.
- High School:
- North Salinas High School
Bio
One of the most decorated players in the history of college softball, Monica Abbott threw an astonishing 23 no-hitters and six perfect games during her Tennessee career and led the Lady Vols to three consecutive Women's College World Series appearances (2005-07), with a runner-up finish in 2007. Abbott logged 10 wins in the circle in her three appearances at the Women's College World Series. Through four stellar seasons at Tennessee, she posted an incredible 189-34 record, a 0.79 ERA, 112 shutouts, 2,440 strikeouts and 125 games with 10 or more strikeouts. She also became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in four different seasons. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics mark Abbott’s second time competing in the games after winning a silver medal with the U.S. National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her No. 7 jersey was retired by the University of Tennessee on March 23, 2013.ABBOTT'S TENNESSEE GAME-BY-GAME STATS
CAREER HIGHS
- Innings: 11.0 // vs. Michigan, 6/5/05
- Strikeouts: 22 // at Florida, 3/10/07
- Walks Issued: 5 (2x), last at Mississippi State, 4/22/06
- Hits Allowed: 9 at Georgia, 4/25/04
- Runs Allowed: 8 vs. Mississippi State, 5/13/04
- Earned Runs Allowed: 8 vs. Mississippi State, 5/13/04
- Consecutive Wins: 24 // 3/17/07-4/28/07
- At Bats: 5 // vs. Mississippi State, 3/20/04
- Runs: 1 (5x)
- Hits Bases: 2 (5x)
- Hit Streak: 3 games // 2/13/04-2/15/04
- RBI: 2 (4x)
- Doubles: 1 (3x)
- Triples: -
- Home Runs: 1 // vs. Nebraska, 2/12/05
- Walks: 1 (9x)
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2007 - SENIOR
- Finished her four-year tenure on Rocky Top as the NCAA's career leader in victories (189), strikeouts (2,440), shutouts (112) and appearances (253).
- Led NCAA Division I in victories in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
- Became the first Tennessee softball player to earn NFCA All-America honors four times.
- Was the 2007 winner of both the Honda Award for Softball, the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year and the Winner of the Roy F. Kramer SEC Female Athlete of the Year award.
- Won the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award.
- ESPY Finalist for Best Female Collegiate Athlete.
- Won SEC Pitcher of the Year for the third time in her career - the only three-time winner in the award's history.
- Posted a 50-5 record in 63 appearances with 52 starts, 45 complete games, five saves and an extraordinary 0.68 ERA in 358.1 innings pitched.
- Set Tennessee's single-season strikeouts record with 724.
- Became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in four different seasons.
- Opponents hit just .114 against her.
- Led the Vols Vols to their third WCWS appearance and their first trip to the final.
- Under her dominant pitching, Tennessee spent a record 11 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, becoming the first SEC school to reach the top ranking in the league's softball history.
SUMMER 2006
- Won gold as a part of the U.S. National team's run through the World Cup of Softball, the ISF Women's World Championship and the Japan Cup.
- Bested Great Britain and China at the World Cup, New Zealand at the World Championship and China and powerhouse Japan in the title game at the Japan Cup.
2006 - JUNIOR
- Finished the season ranking fourth on NCAA's all-time Division I strikeout list with 1716.
- Ended the year ranked fourth all-time in NCAA victories with 139.
- Chosen as one of three finalists for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award.
- Also tabbed as one of four finalists for the Honda Award for Softball.
- Was chosen as a first-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American as well as a first-team All-South Region choice.
- Named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team for her efforts in Oklahoma City.
- Struck out 11 in UT's 4-3 upset of No. 1-ranked UCLA.
- K'ed 15 in the loss to Northwestern and 10 in the 3-1 victory over Arizona State to avoid elimination from the WCWS.
- Worked 14.1 strong innings and closed out No. 13 Michigan with a five-hit shutout to help UT back to the WCWS.
- Rebounded from a rough outing against Tennessee Tech to two-hit No. 18 Louisville in the regional title game.
- Gave up an unimpressive six runs in 15 innings of work in NCAA Regional No. 4, but posted a 2-0 record anyway with 26 strikeouts.
- Was named the SEC Tournament's Most Valuable Player after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 13 K's in 17 innings of work in helping Tennessee pick up its first SEC title.
- Hurled a four-hitter in downing No. 11 LSU, 4-0, in the series opener, but lost the finale to the Bayou Bengals, 4-0, as she allowed two runs and five hits in three innings.
- Selected as the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the third time in 2006 and 12th time in her career after going 5-0 with a 0.45 ERA, a save and 37 K's in 31 innings against USC and Mississippi State.
- Was a perfect 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA and 27 K's in the series sweep of South Carolina.
- Was responsible for all three victories over Ole Miss, working 18.2 innings with 19 K's while allowing just a single run.
- Rebounded from the Florida disappointment to break the SEC career victory record formerly held by LSU's Britni Sneed (120) by registering her 121st career win after a 2-0 mark with 19 K's in 11 innings in the DH sweep of Austin Peay (4/11).
- Didn't fare well in the series with #24 Florida with an 0-2 record while giving up four home runs and six tallies in 14 innings with 17 K's.
- Picked up victory number 24 in UT's 10-0 (5) win over ETSU with four innings of two-hit work with nine K's.
- Hurled her 16th career no-hitter and sixth of the season in UT's 5-0 triumph over Arkansas (4/1).
- Was 3-0 with 25 K's in 18.1 innings and two shutouts at Arkansas.
- Picked up three consecutive victories and her 20th win of the campaign in the series at Kentucky by working 15.2 innings with 27 K's, registering two shutouts and allowing just four total hits.
- Suffered three straight defeats at Alabama to fall to 17-3 on the season; of the 12 runs Abbott allowed against the Tide, only four were earned.
- Gave up a run in the first inning of UT's 3-2 defeat to #6 Alabama to break her scoreless streak at 57.1 innings dating back to March 4 against #16 Northwestern.
- Went 23.2 innings without allowing a hit until the fifth inning against Liberty (3/23) in UT's 8-0 (6) win.
- Tied her career-high for consecutive victories with her 17th straight win in UT's triumph over Liberty...Struck out 14 while allowing just one hit in six innings in an 8-0 (6) win over Liberty.
- Chosen as USA Softball's National Collegiate Player of the Week (3/21), the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week and the SEC Pitcher of the Week (3/20) for her efforts against Belmont and #18 Auburn.
- Her legend continued to grow after firing two consecutive no-hitters in the SEC opening series over No. 18 Auburn to give her 15 no-no's for her career.
- With her 10th K in game one of a DH against Belmont (3/14) she broke the Southeastern Conference career strikeout record (1,370) held by former LSU star Britni Sneed (1999-2002).
- Fired a one-hitter against Belmont (3/14) for her 14th straight win to open the season.
- Was selected as the Most Valuable Pitcher at the USF adidas Tournament.
- Went 4-0 at the USF adidas Tournament with 61 K's in 30 innings of work to improve to 13-0 while taking part in two no-hitters and a perfect game.
- Combined with Megan Rhodes to no-hit Hofstra (5-0) and hurl a perfect game versus Tennessee Tech (8-0, 6) while no-hitting USF by herself (8-0, 6) at the USF event.
- Struck out 16 in the 2-0 one-hitter against Illinois-Chicago (3/10).
- Improved her record to 9-0 on the campaign by throwing two complete games with wins over UC Davis (7-0) and #16 Northwestern (3-2) with 16 K's in each contest.
- Picked up her first save of the campaign with two hitless innings of relief against Texas Tech (4-0) in Fullerton, Calif.
- Won her only start (11-2, five inn., #25/22 Iowa) and garnered a triumph in relief (1-0, Florida State) in two appearances at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., to improve to 7-0 on the season.
- Picked up her 100th career victory with a 13-1 triumph over Hawaii at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic.
- Registered a 3-0 record with 34 K's in 19 innings and a 0.74 ERA in Las Vegas.
- Totaled 14.2 consecutive hitless innings from the seventh frame of the win over Illinois State (2/10) to the second inning of the 13-1 (5) win over Kansas (2/18).
- Gave up her first run of the season after 22.1 scoreless frames to christen the campaign with a third inning run allowed to Kansas (2/18).
- Hurled her 12th career no-hitter with a 1-0 blanking of #18 Oregon, she also had 17 K's.
- Named SEC Pitcher of the Week (10th league award of her career) after dominating in her two appearances at the Coastal Carolina Tournament with a 2-0 mark with 28 K's in 13 innings of work.
- Abbott allowed just a seventh inning single to Illinois State (2/10) while striking out 18 Redbird batters and hurled her fourth career perfect game with 10 K's in an 8-0 (5 inn.) waltz over Coastal Carolina (2/11).
- Chosen to the preseason watch list for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award.
SUMMER 2005
- Participated with the prestigious USA National Team at the World Cup of Softball and at the Japan Cup.
2005 - SOPHOMORE
- Became a two-time first-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American and All-South Region selection after going 50-9 with a 0.52 ERA in 392.0 innings pitched.
- Chosen as the SEC Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-SEC for the second consecutive season.
- Selected as a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award.
- Led the country and broke her own school record for single-season wins (50).
- Also finished tops in the nation in K's for the second consecutive season with 603.
- Her 34 solo shutouts destroyed her 2004 school record total of 24 and helped guide UT to a national mark for blankings with 51.
- Named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team.
- Hurled a career-high 11 innings in a late-night matchup versus No. 1 Michigan as Tennessee picked up a 2-0 win.
- Kept UT from elimination by shutting out No. 8 Alabama 4-0 at the WCWS.
- One-hit No. 3 Arizona and struck out 12 in UT's 1-0 victory for the Lady Vols' initial WCWS victory in program history.
- Fired 43.2 straight scoreless innings from the opening frame on May 15 against Alabama to the two out mark of the first inning of the contest against No. 7 UCLA in the NCAA WCWS.
- Recorded consecutive blankings of No. 4 Stanford to send UT to its first WCWS.
- Abbott two-hit the Cardinal in a 2-0 victory with 12 K's and then one-hit SU in a 6-0 victory.
- Mowed down College of Charleston twice in NCAA Regional action with a one-hitter and 11 K's in Tennessee's 4-0 shutout on May 21 and following that with her 10th career no-hitter by striking out 10 in the Lady Vols' 2-0 regional-clinching win.
- Fired a two-hitter with eight K's to down Miami Univ. 9-0 in five innings in UT's NCAA Regional opener.
- Moved her consecutive scoreless innings streak to 59.0 before giving up a run to No. 9 Alabama in SEC Tourney play.
- Became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 K's in a season twice in her career.
- In 22 at-bats, she hit .227 and recorded five hits, five RBI and one home run.
FALL 2004
- Hurled a one-hitter against China and registered a 1-1 mark from the circle during her USA Elite team's run to a gold medal at the 1st World University Softball Championship in Plant City, Fla., in October.
- Abbott struck out 11 Chinese batters and faced just one hitter over the seven-inning minimum to pick up an important victory.
- Posted an ERA of 0.50 with 23 K's in 14.0 innings of work in the event.
2004 - FRESHMAN
- Became Tennessee's first softball All-American by being selected as a Louisville Slugger/NFCA First Team All-American.
- Over her 59 appearances, she was 45-10, compiled a 1.03 ERA with 44 complete games and 24 solo shutouts, four no-hitters and a perfect game.
- Struck out 582 batters in 352.0 innings and exceeded double digits in K's on 34 occasions.
- Was named as one of the 10 finalists for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year Award, the first Lady Vol to be recognized.
- Became the first Lady Vol pitcher to be tabbed as the USA Softball Player of the Week on Feb. 10, one day after becoming the initial UT rookie to be picked as the SEC Pitcher of the Week.
- Went 2-2 in her first jaunt into NCAA play with a 1.94 ERA in 18 IP.
- Overpowered No. 13 Alabama with her seventh one-hitter to keep the Big Orange alive, 1-0, in the SEC Tournament.
- Carded a dozen K's in tying Katie Wiese's (Oregon) NCAA freshman record of 42 wins that had stood since 1989.
- Carried UT to its first SEC Eastern Division title since 1999 with back-to-back shutouts against Ole Miss on May 1.
- Became the third pitcher in NCAA history to notch 500 strikeouts in a season.
- Supplanted Britni Sneed as the SEC's record-holder for strikeouts in a season, shattering the previous mark of 478.
- Fired a no-hitter in her college debut and notched 13 strikeouts in an 8-0 run-rule of Saint Mary's.
- In 52 at-bats, she hit .250 and recorded 13 hits, 10 RBI and three doubles.
FALL 2003
- Earned a silver medal at the 2003 Junior Women's World Championship in Nanjing, China.
- Pitched the gold-medal game against Japan but was on the short end of a 3-2 count when her squad fell in eight innings on an error.
- Struck out 58 batters over five appearances in the tournament, spanning 32 innings.
- Compiled a scant 0.28 ERA and opponents batted just .106 against her.
- Dominated Australia with a one-hit, 12-strikeout gem in a 4-0 triumph and fanned 16 batters on her way to a two-hit, 5-0 win against Canada.
HIGH SCHOOL
- One of the most sought-after pitchers in the nation, Abbott averaged more than 300 strikeouts per season as a prep star at North Salinas High School in Salinas, Calif.
- The fireballer led the Vikings to three Central Coast Section Division I titles.
- Among her hardware included the Cal-Hi Softball Athlete of the Year, the Sports Focus Athlete of the Year, the state's large school Player of the Year and the MVP trophies from her high school, conference, county and section.
- Not to be outdone, she was tabbed as the California High School Sports Bay Area Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year and received the Prep Female Athlete of the Year accolades from the Monterey Herald and the San Jose Mercury News.
- Two-time recipient of the The Salinas Californian Athlete of the Year.
- Had a stranglehold on the Pitcher of the Year honor for the Monterey Bay League and claimed her team's MVP kudos four straight times.
- Selected to the 2002 Junior Women's National Team that participated in the inaugural Pan Am Junior Championships in Hermosillo, Mexico; earned the event's Most Valuable Player award after hurling a one-hitter and registering 13 strikeouts in a 2-0 win over Canada that delivered the gold medal (also threw a perfect game against host Mexico).
- Was chosen as the Most Valuable Pitcher at the 18-under Canada Cup.
- On July 10, 2002, she pitched the Salinas Storm to a nine-inning victory over the Chinese Women's Taipei National Team by striking out 21 batters in the contest.
- As a junior in 2002, the southpaw tossed seven perfect games, while compiling a 0.17 ERA.
- A standout on the hardwood who averaged 13 points per game, she led her basketball team to an undefeated record as a freshman.
- was named all-state, all-county and all-league in both basketball and softball.
- Pitched extensively for the Salinas Storm club softball team and anchored the pitching staff en route to several appearances at the ASA Gold Tournaments.
PERSONAL
- Full name is Monica Cecilia Abbott
- Born July 28, 1985, in Santa Cruz, Calif.
- Daughter of Bruce and Julie Abbott.
- Majoring in communication studies
- One of her main goals as a collegian was to compete in the Olympics as part of the United States Softball Team.
- Considered Dot Richardson to be her biggest sports influence, and Abbott tried to emulate the Olympian's desire, enthusiasm and skill.
- Modeled herself after MLB Hall of Fame hurler Randy Johnson.
- Chose to become a Lady Vol instead of attending traditional Pac-10 powers Arizona State, California or UCLA.
- Her superstitions include not stepping on the chalk lines and keeping a clean circle.
- Has four siblings: Jessica, Jared and twins, Bina and Gina.
SB | Tennessee Postgame vs. Nebraska (5.25.25)
Sunday, May 25
SB | Tennessee Postgame vs. Nebraska (5.24.25)
Saturday, May 24
SB | Tennessee Postgame vs. Nebraska (5.23.25)
Friday, May 23
SB | Tennessee Postgame vs. Ohio State (5.18.25)
Sunday, May 18
