Audrey West
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Sport:
Softball |
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Year
Graduated: 1996 |
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Year
Inducted: 2001 |
For a three-year period in the mid-nineties, the best pitcher
in Boston wore number 21, and the name was not Roger Clemens.
Certainly, Clemens was an overpowering pitcher who dominated
American League batters while toiling for the Red Sox. But,
he was no Audrey West, who wore number 21 for the Terrier
softball team.
If you have any doubt, ask Mike Dowling from Boston's Channel
5 or Frank Mallicoat from Channel 56. Each came over to do
a feature story on Audrey, and they both stood in the batter's
box to see just how effective her rising fast ball was. Strike
one...strike two...strike three. Have a seat, gentlemen.
Neither Mike nor Frank should have felt alone with his frustration
as over 900 players during a three-year period felt the same
way as they headed back to their dugouts shaking their heads
after trying to hit Audrey's fast ball.
Beginning in 1994 and continuing through the 1996 season,
Audrey compiled an overall record of 75-17. She appeared in
104 games and started 92 of them. She completed 81 games,
pitched 637 innings, had 910 strikeouts, pitched 47 shutouts,
stuck out 910 batters, and had a .065 earned run average.
All these are Terrier school records. Care to compare Clemens'
statistics during this same three-year period?
Audrey's best season was in 1996, when, as a senior, she
led the nation in strikeouts per seven innings. She struck
out a school record 351 batters for an average of 10.7 per
game. She also led the nation with an incredible 0.49 ERA.
Needless to say both are school single-season records as were
her appearances (40), starts (35), shutouts (18), and innings
pitched (230.2). How did you do that year, Roger?
The record-breaking season led to Audrey's being named Third
Team All-American, the America East pitcher of the year, and
the conference tournament's MVP.
