2019 Alumni Promise Award Winner
An Olympian, professional softball player, and supporter of the College of Communication and Information, Monica Abbott (’08) is an incredible individual who has taken softball from the sandlot to the big leagues.
Abbott made a name for herself at UT, propelling the softball team to the Women’s College World Series three times. She became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in all four years of her collegiate career. Upon graduating, she competed for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, winning a silver medal. She then went on to National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), playing for the Toyota Red Terriers in Japan. She has also played for the Chicago Bandits and currently plays for the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs, garnering a $1 million contract in 2016, the highest salary in the history of women’s athletics. She continues to play with Team USA and hopes to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
In her career, Abbott has become one of the most lauded female athletes in history. She became the World Championship gold medalist in 2010 and was the Japan Softball League MVP for three years in a row. Three times now, she has been an NPF league champion and, in 2012, set an NPF speed record with a pitch of 77 miles per hour.
Abbott has placed great emphasis on training the next generation of softball players. Since 2004, she has operated the Abbott Academy, which provides clinics and training programs to grow players’ skills. She established the Monica Abbott Scholarship Fund in 2012, which is administered by the Community Foundation for Monterey County and awards scholarships to two graduating high school female athletes. She continues to support her alma mater and is a generous donor to the College of Communication and Information.
An Olympian, professional softball player, and supporter of the College of Communication and Information, Monica Abbott (’08) is an incredible individual who has taken softball from the sandlot to the big leagues.
Abbott made a name for herself at UT, propelling the softball team to the Women’s College World Series three times. She became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in all four years of her collegiate career. Upon graduating, she competed for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, winning a silver medal. She then went on to National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), playing for the Toyota Red Terriers in Japan. She has also played for the Chicago Bandits and currently plays for the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs, garnering a $1 million contract in 2016, the highest salary in the history of women’s athletics. She continues to play with Team USA and hopes to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
In her career, Abbott has become one of the most lauded female athletes in history. She became the World Championship gold medalist in 2010 and was the Japan Softball League MVP for three years in a row. Three times now, she has been an NPF league champion and, in 2012, set an NPF speed record with a pitch of 77 miles per hour.
Abbott has placed great emphasis on training the next generation of softball players. Since 2004, she has operated the Abbott Academy, which provides clinics and training programs to grow players’ skills. She established the Monica Abbott Scholarship Fund in 2012, which is administered by the Community Foundation for Monterey County and awards scholarships to two graduating high school female athletes. She continues to support her alma mater and is a generous donor to the College of Communication and Information.
