Michele Marie Granger (born January 15, 1970) is an American, former collegiate four-time

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 ...

First Team All-American and 1996 gold medal-winning Olympian

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 ...

. She played

college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is nor ...

for four seasons, over five years, for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She won a gold medal at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

with

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. She currently holds numerous pitching records for the Bears, and is the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

career leader in

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 ...

, no hitters,

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 ...

and

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 ...

, simultaneously holding the NCAA lead in

no-hitters 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 ...

(25), along with several other top-10 career records. She is a USA Softball Hall of Fame inductee.

Valencia High School

Granger was a standout pitcher from 1985–1988 and still holds national top-10 records for career

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 ...

(0.10),

(36) and

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 ...

(1,635). On two occasions she also struck out a single-game record 21 batters over 7

during her 1986 and 1987 campaigns. Against

La Mirada High School La Mirada High School is a public high school in La Mirada, California. It is a member school of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District which was built in 1960 as one of three high schools in the district. After the Norwalk/La Mirada Schoo ...

on June 2, 1988, Granger ended her career tallying 40 strikeouts in the Southern Section 3-A softball semifinals. As a sophomore, Granger would also make her first

roster during the summer of 1986 and competed at the World Championships under head coach Ralph Raymond. She remained a member until after the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

College

1989:
On February 16, Granger tossed her first career

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 ...

against the

New Mexico State Aggies The New Mexico State University teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the university's agricultural beginnings. The mascot is known as " Pistol Pete". NMSU's colors are crimson and white. Since 2005 the Aggies have competed in the ...

, an 8-0, 5-inning

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 ...

. Owing to an inflammation in her pitching hand, Granger withdrew midway through the season to recover. 1990:
Resuming her freshman season, Granger twirled 5

(a season top-5 and

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 ...

tying Freshman Class record), led her team with a career best ERA and posted the best strikeout ratio with the most strikeouts in the

to garner National Fastpitch Coaches' Association

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n status and All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

honors. This also led her to a conference Triple Crown for the best ERA, wins and strikeout totals. 1991:
Granger threw four

and one

. She broke and set school season records for wins, strikeouts (both led the

) and

, all of which now rank top-5 all-time for the Bears; she also set a career best

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 ...

. And she maintained her hold on the best season strikeout ratio, improving by two strikeouts per inning from the previous year, and strikeouts overall for that year to again be honored

n and All-

. For one of her

, Granger set a school,

Sophomore Class and overall single 7-inning game record for strikeouts when she whiffed 21 batters in a 3-0 win over 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 Baseb ...

on March 22, 1991. 1992:
Adding 6 more

(another top-5

season record), two

and all-season honors, Granger would break her own shutout record by pitching 26, which is the Junior Class record and was second all-time only to Debbie Nichols'

total of 36, set in 1988. In addition, that season's

gave her a career 16 to break the record originally held by Lisa Ishikawa (14). That year Granger led her team to the only

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 ...

appearance of her career. She responded by shutting out the

USF Bulls The South Florida Bulls (also known as the USF Bulls) are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, w ...

in their opening game but eventually suffered their second loss 2-0 to defending champions the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

. 1993:
As a senior, Granger posted 9

(one a

) and for the final time repeated all-season honors. Her no-hitters are the Senior Class and all-time

season record; she also set the career record by reaching 25. For her fourth

n honor, Granger, along with

Lisa Fernandez Lisa Maria Fernandez (born February 22, 1971) is an American former softball player and current associate head coach at UCLA. She played college softball at UCLA as a pitcher and third baseman, and is a three-time medal winning Olympian with Te ...

became the first

softball players to be named to the First Team in four consecutive seasons. She broke her own strikeout total with 484, which led the conference and Nation—as she had all three years prior—and set a new

season record, bettering Lisa Ishikawa's 1984 total of 469. On February 22, she broke Shawn Andaya's career strikeout record in an 8-0 win over the

Northwestern Wildcats The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern ...

. Granger would reach a career record total of 1,640 and currently remains inside the top-10 all-time. On March 28 Granger threw her 85th career shutout over the

Sacramento State Hornets The Sacramento State Hornets (also Sac State) represent California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, the capital city of the U.S. state of California, in intercollegiate athletics. The school fields 21 teams including men and women's ba ...

to claim a new

record. At the close of the season she would have a grand total of 94, now second best all-time. Granger set another single-game record in a 12-inning battle with the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conferenc ...

on March 30, posting a career best 26 strikeouts to crack the record of 25 held by

Debbie Doom Debra "Debbie" Ann Doom (born January 1, 1963) is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired professional right-handed softball pitcher originally from Tempe, Arizona. She played for the UCLA Bruins from 1982-1985 (where she was a three- ...

. This single-game record now stands second all-time in the

and is the Senior Class record. Granger would depart with

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

career records in wins, innings pitched, shutouts and strikeouts and still claims school dominance in all those categories except wins. She holds the now-named

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

innings and shutout records, as well as strikeouts for both her single-game record totals. Finally, she holds the no-hitter crown at 25 and ranks second all-time in shutouts, third in perfect games (5), 6th in innings, 9th in strikeouts and 15th in ERA overall (10th for a four-year career) in the

1996 Olympics

Granger prepared to compete in the inaugural softball tournament to be held in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

while working and living in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. After completing the exhibition tour, she would throw the first pitch ever in the Olympics in a 10-0 win over

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Granger struck out 10 and only gave up two hits and a walk. On July 30, she would post her second win in the gold medal game in which

defeated

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

3-1, with Granger pitching the first 5 plus innings, giving up a run, a walk and striking out 8 batters. In 16-innings, Granger had two wins, gave up two earned runs and collected 25 strikeouts, all while three-months pregnant. Granger was second on the team in strikeouts and innings pitched.

Post-playing career

Granger was inducted in the

Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. She nabbed her second and third Hall of Fame entries on the same night, November 9, 2006, by being inducted into the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and International Softball Federation (ISF) Softball Halls of Fame. She worked on the coaching staff of the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

Lady Volunteers softball team and currently volunteers at

Sierra College Sierra College is a public community college in Rocklin, California. It is part of the Sierra Joint Community College District, a district that covers over , serves Placer, Nevada and parts of El Dorado and Sacramento counties. History The c ...

while coaching high school softball.

Statistics

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

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 ...

References

Links

* NCAA Division I softball career strikeouts list *

NCAA Division I softball career wins list There are currently 104 pitchers in the NCAA Division I 100 Wins Club: Progression Debbie Nichols won her 140th career game defeating the ULL Ragin’ Cajuns 3-1 on April 7, 1990, besting Rhonda Wheatley's original record. Courtney Blades passed ...

NCAA Division I softball career -1.00 ERAs list There are currently 71 pitchers and 47 records in the sub-1.00 ERA club: * Note every player on the list played four seasons (except those currently with one year eligibility remaining) totaling at least 600 innings pitched. Progression Debbie Do ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Michele 1970 births Living people Softball players from California California Golden Bears softball players American softball coaches Tennessee Volunteers softball coaches Olympic softball players of the United States Softball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in softball Softball players Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics People from Placentia, California Sportspeople from Orange County, California