Debra "Debbie" Ann Doom (born January 1, 1963) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, former collegiate All-American, retired professional right-handed

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

originally from

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

. She played for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

from 1982-1985 (where she was a three-time National Champion) and the

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' national softball team just prior to the major boom in the sport's popularity both in America and worldwide. She was the singularly most dominant pitcher in softball during her career and was remarkable for her exceptional fastball and her height (6' 1/4"). She ranks currently in numerous softball records for the Bruins and in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

. Doom was named the Women's Professional Softball League's inaugural World Series MVP in 1997.

University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

recruited Doom out of

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, where she played high school softball. She opened her career by breaking and setting school season records for

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

and strikeout ratio, the latter of which led the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. On April 20, 1982, Doom set the single-game strikeout record (now fourth best) in

history when she fanned 25 batters against the

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big West Co ...

. The total remains the Freshman Class single game record for the

. She would match it twice in her career before Michele Granger surpassed her in 1993. On May 15, Doom threw her first

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

vs. the Wyoming Cowgirls. The Bruins made the inaugural NCAA

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

softball tournament and Doom opened her series with a 13-inning victory over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on May 27. Doom set the tournament record for single-game strikeouts with 20. On May 29, she won back-to-back games vs. the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball ...

(in relief and combining for a

) and the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member o ...

(striking out 11 in 7 innings, a WCWS record). Doom marched forward with a 10-inning shutout over the

in the semifinals to reach the championship game as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

. She allowed only two hits in 8 innings as her Bruins downed the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

2–0 on May 31, thanks to a throwing error and

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...

in the eighth inning. Doom was named to the All-Tournament Team for her 5 wins, 62 strikeouts, 41.2

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

efforts. For her sophomore campaign, Doom was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team All-American and won honors from the now defunct WCAA. She broke her own strikeouts record and again led the NCAA in strikeout ratio. Doom pitched an 11-inning

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

on March 7 vs. the

Creighton Bluejays The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. They compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. Sports sponsored Baseba ...

. The

made it back to the WCWS to defend their title and Doom started off by breaking her own record with 15 strikeouts in regulation over the

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters, commonly abbreviated La. Tech and Dawgs, refer to the sports teams of Louisiana Tech University, in Ruston, Louisiana. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports. Since 2013, Louisiana Tech has bee ...

on May 26. The next game, she suffered her first loss to the

, who tagged her for 6 earned runs. She responded by besting the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

in 17 innings on May 28. Doom and the Bruins were eliminated by the eventual champions, the

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

, after 14 innings on May 29. Doom had a banner year in 1984, being named First Team All-American and winning the Honda Sports Award for softball. She broke her own season records with career bests in strikeouts,

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

(

Junior Class record) and

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

totals, the two latter categories being second best for an NCAA season and still remaining top-10 all-time; along with her wins, she also earned a conference pitching Triple Crown for the WCAA. Doom also had a

and a

to her credit. From February 25 to April 6, Doom achieved a 102-scoreless-inning streak, which remained tops until

Danielle Henderson Danielle Henderson (born January 29, 1977) is an American, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, retired professional All-Star softball pitcher who is currently the head coach at UMass. Henderson was a starting pitcher for t ...

posted a new record in 1999. Making their third consecutive bid for a national title, Doom gave her team a shutout performance to open that year's WCWS vs. the

Utah State Aggies The Utah State Aggies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Utah State University, located in Logan. The school fields 16 sports teams – seven men and nine women – and compete in the Mountain West Conference. Sports spon ...

. They suffered an extra-inning loss to the

in their next game. Doom won in relief against the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

on May 28 and the next day returned the shutout against the Aggies in the semifinals. Doom faced the Aggies for a third time in the finale that lasted 13 innings with the Bruins celebrating a second national championship on May 29. Doom again made the All-Tournament Team. Doom received final Second Team All-American and All- WCAA accolades. She posted a top-10 shutout total to accompany three

perfect games Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

for the Bruins. The

total was a new

season record and remains top-5; Doom, along with Beth Hawkins of the

Bradley Braves The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I lev ...

, were the first pitchers to reach the total in a season. For a final time with Doom on the mound, the Bruins made the 1985 World Series, though Doom lost her first match with the

on May 24. The game was notable as Doom surrendered her only career

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

to Robin Goodin. Doom rebounded with a shutout over the

the next day. With help from Tracy Compton, Doom was able to pitch her third national championship game, a 9-inning win over the Cornhuskers on May 26. She was named to the All-Tournament Team for final time. At the end of her World Series career, Doom remains the only pitcher to win three

WCWS softball championships and one of the rare to have appeared every year of her career. The 1984 championship saw Doom set the ultimate strikeout record for a title game at 15;

UCLA Bruin The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

Anjelica Selden would set the record for the three-game format in 2005 with 13; no one has beaten Doom's finale game tally. Overall, she went 13–4 with 178 strikeouts, 7 shutouts and allowing 12 earned runs, 77 hits and 25 walks in 146.1 innings for an 0.57 ERA and 0.70 WHIP. Doom left

atop the lists for career wins, strikeouts, shutouts and innings pitched. She was second in ERA. Currently, she ranks top-10 in all the same categories. In the

, Doom set and is now tied third in

(5), ERA (which was second) is now third best and her shutouts were the record and now sit inside the top-15 all-time for a career.

After UCLA

Recognizing her dominance, the

placed Doom on its All-Decade Team in 1991 and its 25th Anniversary

Women's Softball All-Star Team in 2006.

inducted Doom into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1997 at age 34, Doom pitched for the Orlando Wahoos (now the

Akron Racers The Akron Racers were a women's softball team based in Akron, Ohio. They have moved to Cleveland and been renamed the Cleveland Comets in 2018. The team was started by Joey Arietta in 1999 to participate in the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). ...

) in Women's Pro Fastpitch (now

National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

). She led the league in

(0.42) and opponents' batting average (.153), while also placing in the league's top-5 in four other pitching categories. She went 3–0 in the championship series against the Virginia Roadsters and was named series MVP. Doom was a consistent member of

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

and among her highlights was pitching two consecutive

at the 1991

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

, an unmatched feat. On February 15, 2014, UCLA retired her jersey (#17). She was also included in the Arizona Softball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Career Statistics

UCLA Bruins

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doom, Debbie 1963 births Living people Softball players from Arizona UCLA Bruins softball players Sportspeople from Tempe, Arizona People from Tempe, Arizona

University of California, Los Angeles

After UCLA

Career Statistics

UCLA Bruins

See also

References