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 normally played by men.
Lisa Maria Fernandez is an American former softball player and current assistant coach at UCLA. She played college softball at UCLA as a pitcher and third baseman, and is a three-time medal winning Olympian with Team USA.
Stacey "Nuvey" Nuveman-Deniz is an American, former collegiate NCAA Division I four-time first team All-American and three-time medal winning Olympian, retired pro All-Star softball player and current associate head coach at San Diego State. She played for the UCLA Bruins at the catcher position on-and-off from 1997 to 2002, winning a National Championship in 1999. She also won two Olympic gold medals and one silver medal for Team USA.
Dorothy Gay Richardson is an American physician and former two-time gold medal-winning Olympian softball player at shortstop. Richardson is currently the head coach at Liberty. Richardson played college softball at UCLA and won the inaugural NCAA Division I Softball Tournament in 1982. She is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Leah Marie O'Brien-Amico is an American, former collegiate All-American, three-time Olympian, left-handed-hitting softball outfielder and sports commentator originally from Chino, California. O'Brien-Amico is best known for playing for the Arizona Wildcats and earning gold medals at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Laura Kay Berg is an American college softball head coach for Oregon State and a former collegiate four-time All-American and Olympian. She played for the Fresno State Bulldogs from 1994–98, where she won the 1998 Women's College World Series and owns the Western Athletic Conference career records in hits, runs and triples. She is one of only four women to have won four Olympic medals in softball, having won a medal at every Olympics the sport was contested. She is second all-time in NCAA Division I career hits and at-bats. She is also a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Amanda Louise Freed is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold-medal winning Olympian, professional All-Star right-handed batting softball utility player and pitcher, who was also a coach, originally from Cypress, California. She played for the UCLA Bruins in the now-named Pac-12 Conference, winning the national title for the Bruins in the 1999 Women's College World Series. In two other national runner-up finishes, she was also named All-Tournament in all her appearances at the world series. She later won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2004 Olympics. In 2005, Freed joined the National Pro Fastpitch and played until 2008 for the defunct Rockford Thunder.
Tairia Mims Flowers is an African-American former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, softball player and current head coach at Loyola Marymount. She played college softball as a third basemen for the UCLA Bruins from 2000 to 2003, winning a national championship in 2003 and ranking top-five in school career RBIs and home runs. Flowers also helped them to two runner-up finishes and was named a three-time All-Tournament honoree. Flowers won a gold and silver medal as part of Team USA at the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Debra "Debbie" Ann Doom 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 and the United States' 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. She ranks currently in numerous softball records for the Bruins and in the NCAA Division I. Doom was named the Women's Professional Softball League's inaugural World Series MVP in 1997.
Lori Harrigan-Mack is an American, former collegiate All-American, right-handed hitting, left-handed softball pitcher originally from Anaheim, California. She was a three-time Olympic Champion as a member of the Team USA winning in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Harrigan played collegiately from 1989–1992 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she owns numerous records; she is the Big West Conference career leader in shutouts and innings pitched and is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Michele Mary Smith is an American, former collegiate All-American, two-time medal-winning Olympian, international professional left-handed hitting fastpitch softball pitcher and current sports commentator, originally from Califon, New Jersey. Smith played her college career for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls for the years 1986–89, where she set numerous records in the now defunct Big Eight Conference. She is also a double Olympic Softball gold medalist with Team USA, having played in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. She has been ESPN's lead college softball color analyst since 1998. In 2012, Smith became the first woman to serve as commentator for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game. Smith is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Lovieanne Jung is a Filipino-American, former collegiate All-American, two-time medal winning Olympian, retired softball player. She began her college softball career at Fresno State as a second baseman, then transferred to Arizona and played as a shortstop. She represented the United States women's national softball team winning a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Andrea Jane Duran is an American, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, professional four-time All-Star softball player. She played college softball at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Pac-12 Conference, where she was named to the all-conference team twice, and Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2006. She also won two national championships in 2003 and 2004, and was named to the All-Tournament team in 2006. She won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. On the Olympic team she played third base and outfield. Duran was undrafted but later played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch, being named the 2014 Player of the Year and winning three Cowles Cup championships with the USSSA Pride.
Christie Ambrosi is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold-medal winning Olympian, right-handed softball player and current Head Coach, originally from Overland Park, Kansas. She attended high school at Blue Valley Northwest High School. Ambrosi was a shortstop and outfielder for the UCLA Bruins in the now-named Pac-12 Conference from 1996-97, 99, winning a national title in her final year and was named All-Tournament. She later helped Team USA to a gold medal in the Sydney Olympics. Ambrosi held several coaching positions and is now head of the SVSU Cardinals softball team.
Jennifer Lynn Brundage is an American, former collegiate All-American, 2000 Gold Medal winning Olympian, right-handed softball third basemen, originally from Irvine, California. She played for the UCLA Bruins from 1992–95 and won the 1992 Women's College World Series championship. Brundage was named Honda Sports Award for softball as Player of The Year in 1995. As a part of Team USA softball, she won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She is currently assistant softball coach for the Michigan Wolverines.
Dionna M. Harris is an American, former collegiate right-handed softball second basemen and outfielder, originally from Wilmington, Delaware. She played two years for the defunct Temple Owls softball team from 1989-90 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, where as a junior was named Player of The Year. She was also an Olympic champion and competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Shelly Stokes is an American, former collegiate All-American and Olympic champion, right-handed softball player originally from Sacramento, California. Stokes was a catcher for the Fresno State Bulldogs in the Big West Conference from 1987-90. She led them to three back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Women's College World Series, also being named All-Tournament in the 1989 series. Stokes would go on to win gold with Team USA in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Julie M. Smith is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold-medal winning Olympian softball player and coach. Smith played college softball for Texas A&M and Fresno State. She represented Team USA at the 1996 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal. Smith most recently served as the head softball coach and assistant athletic director at the University of La Verne.
Christa Lee Williams-Yates is an American, former collegiate three-time All-American, two-time Gold Medal winning Olympian, retired three-time pro All-Star, right-handed hitting softball pitcher originally from Houston, Texas. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she received a gold medal with the American team. Four years later at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she won her second gold medal. Williams-Yates began her college career with the UCLA Bruins in 1997 before transferring to play softball with the Texas Longhorns (1998-99). Joining in its inaugural year, she played three years in the National Pro Fastpitch with the Texas Thunder (2004-06) and still ranks top-10 in career wins, strikeouts, ERA among other records. In 2018, Williams-Yates was named to the USA National Softball Hall of Fame. Currently, Williams-Yates teaches high school softball in Friendswood, Texas.
Sharron Backus is a former softball player and coach. She played as a shortstop and third baseman on seven Amateur Softball Association national championship teams from 1961 to 1975. She served as the head softball coach at UCLA from 1975 to 1997 and led her teams to nine national collegiate softball championships. At the time of her retirement in 1997, she was the winningest college softball coach in the history of the sport. Backus has been inducted into both the National Softball Hall of Fame and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
