ABBOTT Monica

General
PLAYING IN JAPAN
She has played regularly in the Japan Women's Softball League [JWSL] for Toyota Red Terriers since first joining the team in 2009, winning multiple league titles and being named MVP of the JWSL on multiple occasions. "I would say I would be a fan favourite [in Japan]. It's an avid softball fan base in Japan." Due to the COVID-19 restrictions she missed the first six games of the 2020/21 season but was able to return to Japan to play in October 2020. "There were moments of doubt, and hope was starting to fade that I would be able to play [in Japan in 2020/21]. I was finally able to return to the field for Toyota softball [in October]." She said she believes Japan are favourites to win gold in Tokyo. "I look at us as underdogs. Japan beat us in 2008. It's a big advantage playing in front of your own fans." (Instagram profile, 13 Oct 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Jun 2020; montereyherald.com, 17 Mar 2021)

TEAM USA RETIREMENT AND COMEBACK
She retired from international softball in 2010 before making her comeback to the US team in 2018. "I had a lot of people asking me to come back. I played in Beijing and I believe in the Olympics, I believe in what they stand for. For softball, the Olympics are the highest stage possible. I want to be there to help make a statement. Softball deserves to be in the Olympics. Not only in 2020, but also in 2024, 2028 and beyond. In Tokyo we need to put on a good show, to help that happen. We will have to meld my experience with the different attitude of a younger generation of players." In 2021 she said she was yet to make plans for retirement. "I'm still pitching at a high level and at a level I love to compete at. I don't want to rush any decision. I don't know what my exit route will look like. That's going to be a hard conversation. There is no blueprint to retire or exit the game." (montereyherald.com, 17 Mar 2021; wbsc.org, 06 Aug 2018; espn.com, 10 Jul 2018; theseason.gc.com, 0 Aug 2018)

VETERAN PLAYER
She was the youngest member of the US team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and in 2020 will be one of the team's oldest players. "I've definitely changed. I was the youngest player in 2008, and I had some great veterans around me. Now I'm the oldest player in a role where I know I need to be a veteran at times and choose my words and my timing well. I've evolved as an athlete, I've played professionally now for quite some time both overseas and in the US, and just that experience has allowed me to mould my game in so many different ways. That experience is something I'm so grateful for, and I know it's going to come in handy down the road. I just want to be open to them [younger players] and if there's something they're thinking about, how can I share with them to put them in the best position to be successful and help them as a teammate." (teamusa.org, 01 Aug 2018)

MILLION DOLLAR PLAYER
In 2016 she became the first player in the history of the NPF League to sign a million-dollar contract, but said she does not feel any pressure over the attention the news received. "I don't feel pressure. I love pressure. I just felt like, if I can be the first one, then who is going to be the second? Who is going to be the third? If I can be the first female athlete to do this, how is that going to inspire the next girl to just kick ass on their work project and demand a raise? How is that going to inspire other women? I've talked to a lot of millennial women who are dealing with these issues, and I've just told them, 'Hey, this happened to me. I didn't think this was going to happen to me, but it happened, and now it's going to create so many opportunities for you. Don't forget to know your worth. Don't forget to value what you stand for.'" (thecut.com, 13 Jun 2016)

THIS IS US
In June 2020 she was among the full squad of 18 Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs players who quit the team following its first National Pro Fastpitch [NPF] match after

In 2016 she became the first National Pro Fastball [NPF] League player in the history of the league to sign a million-dollar contract when she penned a six-year deal with the Scrap Yard Dawgs. (espn.com, 05 May 2016)

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing she became the first softball pitcher to throw a perfect game in Olympic history. She was also the youngest member of the US team at the Games. (mlb.com, 05 May 2016; Facebook page, 08 Mar 2019; wbsc.org, 06 Aug 2018)

During her time at the University of Tennessee she became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in all four seasons. (utsports.com, 28 Feb 2013)