Olympian Monica Abbott to Headline 2014 Softball Bullpen Club Dinner
November 19, 2013 | Softball
Nov. 19, 2013
USA Softball Olympian Monica Abbott will be the keynote speaker at the 2014 Class Act Federal Credit Union Louisville Softball Bullpen Club Dinner presented by MPC Promotions. The annual dinner will be held on January 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Brown & Williamson Club at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
"The Bullpen Club Dinner is an event we look forward to every year," said UofL head coach Sandy Pearsall. "This year we are bringing in one of the most accomplished pitchers in the game as our keynote speaker. We faced Monica Abbott a few times while she was at Tennessee and can I just say that we're excited that she will be on our side this time. This event is an excellent opportunity for our players to connect with fans and alums and learn from the great players of our game such as Monica Abbott."
About Monica Abbott: Monica Abbott is one of the most recognized names in the world of softball for her domination in the circle on the collegiate, international and professional levels. She helped lead USA Softball to a Silver Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, still holds several NCAA records set during her four-time All-American career at Tennessee. She has spent six years in the National Professional Fastpitch league and is in her fourth season with the Japan Softball League.
Abbott first made her mark while playing at the University of Tennessee from 2003-07. She was a four-time All-America selection, three-time Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year, USA Softball Collegiate Pitcher of the Year and Honda Award Winner while leading the Lady Vols to three Women's College World Series appearances and a runner-up finish in 2007. During her time at Tennessee, she led the nation in victories in each of her seasons and still holds the NCAA records for career victories, strikeouts, shutouts and single season strikeouts.
While playing for USA Softball, Abbott helped lead the team to a Silver Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and recorded the first-ever perfect game in the Olympics in USA's win over the Netherlands. She also helped USA Softball to four World Cup Championships, two World Championship Gold Medals and a Pan American Gold Medal.
Upon graduation from Tennessee, Abbott went on to play for the Washington Glory in the National Professional Fastpitch league and helped capture the league championship, while earning series MVP honors in 2007. After the 2008 Olympic campaign, Abbott resumed play in the NPF from 2009-12, spending the last three seasons with the Chicago Bandits and earned back-to-back Picher of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012. Abbott has also played in the Japan Softball League for the past four seasons and has led her team to the league championship while earning MVP honors three times.
About Louisville Softball: UofL posted a 47-13 overall record in 2013. The Cardinals finished the season at No .19 in the USA Today/NFCA rankings and No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches' poll. Louisville reached as high as No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll - matching a program high - and spent four weeks in the top ten. The Cardinals return eight letter winners from that team, including 2013 All-America selection Katie Keller, All-BIG EAST team members: Whitney Arion, Caralisa Connell, Hannah Kiyohara, Rachel LeCoq and Maggie Ruckenbrod; and 2012 All-America selection Taner Fowler.
Sandy Pearsall enters her 15th season as UofL's head coach. After building the program from scratch in 2000, Pearsall has guided the Cardinals to five conference championships. Under her watch, Louisville has made 10 consecutive NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Louisville will open the 2014 season in Boca Raton, Fla., at the FAU "Kickoff" Classic Feb. 7-9.
More Class Act Federal Credit Union Bullpen Club Dinner Information
The Bullpen Club Dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Brown & Williamson Club at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. A reception and silent auction start at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for the evening are $50/individual or $500/$750 for a table of 10.
When:
January 25, 2014
6:00 pm- 7:30 p.m. - Reception/Cash Bar/Silent Auction
7:30 p.m. - Dinner/Program
Where:
Brown & Williamson Club
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
2800 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY 40292
Send registration/payment to: Christy Waltrip / UofL Athletics / SAC E301 / Louisville, KY 40292
Or contact: Christy@GoCards.com
