Player Bio: Jennifer Spediacci - University of Washington Official Athletic Site
April 18, 2013 | Softball
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Wilson on Spediacci: "Jennifer is the essence of a power pitcher. She has speed and she has sharp movement. She goes up, down, in or out extremely effectively. She's an aggressive pitcher and has the dazzle that Jamie's really not. Jennifer as an incredible work ethic and an incredible amount of heart. She and Jamie both have a deep sense of pride and integrity about them that they'll never walk away from a job unfinished."
Washington: Broke the UW school record in strikeouts midway through her third season, finishing the year with a career total of 578...In position to establish more UW standards her senior year...Ranks second on the career charts in earned run average (1.28), saves (5), complete games (53) and innings pitched (578.2)...Stands third in games started (88), wins (66), shutouts (24) and fewest walks per seven innings (1.50)...Picked in the fifth round, 20th overall, by the Tampa Bay FireStix in the 2000 Women's Pro Softball League senior draft.
Junior (1999): Despite a stellar season in which she finished with a 0.99 ERA, 25 wins and 250 strikeouts, missed receiving her second All-America certificate...Named first-team all-Pac-10...Her ERA ranked fourth in the conference and 20th in the nation...Proved her worth in the postseason, earning most outstanding player honors at regionals and earned a spot on the CWS all-tournament team...Improved her postseason record to 11-1 (.917), her only blemish being the 3-2 loss in the championship game against UCLA...Recorded 35 strikeouts in 33.0 innings with a 1.06 ERA, just three walks and two shutouts...Whiffed 10 batters in 3-0 defeat of Hawai'i in the regional final...Struck out seven against No. 3 Arizona at the CWS, shutting out the Wildcats...In addition to strikeouts, led team for the year in complete games (20), games started (34), shutouts (11), innings pitched (226.1) and opposing batting average (.145), best in the conference...Her strikeout total is a season record and ranked second in the Pac-10, and her ERA mark stands third on the UW charts...She and Jamie Graves combined to set 12 team records, most of which they'd established a year ago: lowest ERA (0.88), opposing batting average (.179) and slugging percentage (.215); fewest runs (99), hits per seven innings (4.47), and walks (71); and most shutouts (32) and strikeouts (408)...Her 25 wins tied her with Graves for the third-best total in a UW season, fifth in the conference and 20th in the country last season...Recorded 10 or more strikeouts in five games and threw eight one-hitters...Did both, in addition to homering, in leading UW to its second defeat of the season over No. 1 UCLA, 1-0, striking out 11 in handing the Bruins their only shutout of the season...Earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors for that performance, as well as the week after going 4-0 at the Louisville Slugger Classic in Gainesville, Fla...Also named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic all-tournament team...Pitched 37.0 consecutive innings without an earned run (4/25-5/7)...Came within one out of pitching a perfect game against Portland State (4/16), striking out 10 before allowing two hits in the bottom of the seventh...Struck out 11 in five innings of relief against Oregon (4/18)...Combined with Graves to pitch a no-hitter against No. 9 Louisiana State (2/26)...At the plate, led the team in sacrifice flies (4) and bases on balls (32)...That walks total was fifth both in the Pac-10 and on the UW charts...Second on the team in batting average (.315), doubles (10), home runs (4) and slugging percentage (.432)...Had 14 RBI and two homers in conference outings, best on the squad...Earned first-team academic all-Pac-10 honors.
Sophomore (1998): One of three pitchers who helped set or tie 14 team pitching records, including lowest ERA (1.24), opposing batting average (.182) and slugging percentage (.238); fewest hits (286), runs (103) and walks (81); and most strikeouts (365)...Earned first-team all-Pac-10 and all-Pacific Region honors...Led UW's pitching staff in every major category but saves, including ERA (1.15), wins (27), winning percentage (.818, 27-6), appearances (41), games started (31), complete games (23), shutouts (8), innings pitched (213.1), strikeouts (212) and opponent batting average (.171)...Established school season records in ERA, wins and strikeouts, which she shattered by 58...Also tied with teammate Jeanine Giordano for the season record in fewest errors (2)...Strikeout mark was set with her last whiff at Oregon (5/3)...Led the team throughout the playoffs on the mound and at the plate...Posted a 0.91 ERA and a .462 batting average (6-13) in NCAA games...Collected all six of UW's postseason wins, recording 43 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched...Named to College World Series all-tournament team and was MVP of the Region No. 4 tournament...In regionals, pitched 14 innings and allowed no runs off eight hits...No-hit No. 12 LSU (5/16)...Struck out 18 while walking only four in collecting three wins...Also went 4-5 at the plate, with four RBI and one run...In 24 innings at the CWS, struck out 25 and allowed just 11 hits and five runs while picking up three wins...Pitched two other complete game no-hitters, against No. 6 Oklahoma (3/1) and No. 18 Oregon State (4/18)...Went the distance and held four teams to one hit: No. 8 Arizona State (4/3), No. 23 Oregon (4/19), and No. 21 UMass (5/21) and No. 5 Nebraska (5/23) at the CWS...Had a stretch of seven complete games and eight appearances (4/7-4/28) during which only four runs crossed the plate...Averaged 6.96 strikeouts per seven innings and whiffed seven or more batters in 12 outings...Season high was 12 versus Massachusetts (2/27) and had 10 against No. 8 Colorado State (2/22) and LSU (5/16)...Earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors twice...The first came after the NFCA Leadoff Classic, where she picked up three wins and a save and kept her season ERA of 0.00 intact...In 21-plus innings, pitched two shutouts and two complete games, struck out 34 batters and allowed only 14 hits...The second came after facing No. 18 Oregon State, No. 23 Oregon and Pacific Lutheran in mid-April, when she combined for a no-hitter against PLU and then no-hit OSU...Allowed no runs and struck out 20 to post a 0.00 ERA in 16 innings for the weekend...At the plate, hit .296 with 18 runs, 23 RBI, eight doubles and two triples...Tied for a team-high 15 two-out RBI...Had an on-base percentage of .401, second on team...Put together the squad's longest hitting streak of 14 games (4/19-5/17), which is tied for the fourth-longest in school history...Also had 10 multi-hit outings.
Freshman (1997): Had a successful rookie season, earning second-team honors in the Pacific Region and Pac-10...Led the pitching staff in ERA with a 1.94...Compiled a 14-7 record...Pitched 10 complete games and five shutouts...Struck out 114 batters in 139.0 innings...Picked up a save in the second game of regionals against Oklahoma State...Defeated UConn (3/1) for the 200th victory in UW history...Beginning Apr. 20, earned six of UW's next eight wins, including three straight wins and back-to-back complete-game shutouts against No. 12 Arizona State (4/26) and Oregon (4/23)...Garnered Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors (4/28) for her efforts in that span...Struck out eight Pacific Lutheran batters (4/8)...Played first base when not pitching...Hit .278, collecting seven runs in 26 hits and 11 RBI...Put together a seven-game hitting streak (2/22-3/22) and a six-gamer (4/20-4/26)...Had two hits in the 1-0 win over No. 4 UCLA (5/1).
High School: Four-year letterwinner in both softball and basketball...Besides pitching, also was an infielder...Injured her knee her senior year and did not compete in softball...Ranked as one of the state's top 10 pitchers as a junior...Team was Mission Valley Athletic League (MVAL) champion with an undefeated record (27-0) and won the North Coast Section championship...MVAL player of the year both her sophomore and juniors seasons by the San Jose Mercury News...Earned Alameda Newspaper Group (ANG) first-team honors as a sophomore and junior...Team won the North Coast Section championship her sophomore year...Named to the all-state underclassmen softball team as a sophomore...Second-team all-MVAL her rookie campaign...Earned team MVP honors all four years...Also played guard for the basketball team, earning team MVP honors her final three seasons and second-team all-East Bay accolades as a senior...All-MVAL first team her sophomore and senior years...As a junior, named to the all-East Bay first team, ANG first team and the MVAL player of the year...Helped Washington H.S. win the league championship her sophomore year...Second-team all-league as freshman...An honor roll student all four years.
Personal: Majoring in business...Mother, Toni, is a secretary...Father, Ray, is a contractor and helped coach her softball team, along with Marie Dean and Roger Baysden...Has an older sister, Michelle (23)...Played a basketball game her junior year against current teammate Rosie Leutzinger that extended into two overtime periods...Former teammates who are playing collegiately are Jenny Girard (Wisconsin), Aly Sartini (Arkansas), Jill Robinson (Oregon) and Erica Del Toro (Indiana)...Helped the Grapettes to a top-10 finish in the 18-and-under and 18 Gold Nationals...Has traveled to Italy, the Caribbean and Mexico...Jennifer Ann Spediacci was born Apr. 5, 1978, in Hayward, Calif.
