Monica Abbott has done it all in the world of softball. She's won gold medals, championships, pitched perfect games, pitched no-hitters and owns a huge list of records. While still actively pitching in Japan and with the Scrapyard Dawgs (formerly of National Pro Fastpitch), Monica decided to add one more note to her resume. She will represent the country in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
I had the pleasure of watching Monica up close when she pitched for the Chicago Bandits. As a softball newbie, I had heard of Monica, but I wasn't all too familiar with her. I learned quickly why she is one of the all time greats. Monica could often be dominant.
In her NPF career, she was 126-41 with an ERA of 1.01. She had a season when she allowed .31 runs a game and in her "worst" season, her ERA was 1.55.
Monica is a bulldog. I once saw her pitch several extra innings in a game and asked her how long she would/could have gone. She looked at me like I was a bit goofy, when she determinedly said "as long as it took."
Obviously Monica is one of the greatest on the field, but she is also a class act off the field. She is dedicated to growing the game and giving back. In 2012, she established the Monica Abbott Scholarship Fund to pay it forward. More info is available at MonicaAbbott.com.
Monica and Team USA will be in Rosemont tonight and tomorrow to play the Bandits and the USSSA Pride. You can go to ChicagoBandits.com for more info.
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