National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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May 13, 2010 8:44:22 AM

Danielle Monson is in the process of ending her collegiate softball career, and what better way to go out than having your name etched in the NCAA softball record book.

From February 5 through April 24 this season, Central Washington's senior centerfielder set a Division II record by recording a hit in 40 straight games.

Monson wasn't aware she was about to break the previous record of 39 held by Kellie Nishikida of Metro State (2009) and Jaclyn Corroto of Gannon (2007) until the day she tied it.

In her mind, that was a good thing.

"It was better that I didn't know because I'm the type of person who puts a lot of pressure on myself and would have thought about it a lot," said Monson, who finished the regular season with a .522 batting average. "It helped that it was out of my mind."

Monson broke the record with a groundball single up the middle in her second at-bat during a home game against Northwest Nazarene. What followed next came as a surprise to her.

"They announced it over the speakers, and all of my teammates came out of the dugout and were cheering," said Monson, who is scheduled to graduate with a degree in elementary education in the fall. "I didn't know they were going to do that."

Monson finished that game 3-for-4, but the streak came to an end in the nightcap of the doubleheader.

Like most of this season, Monson put some good swings on the pitches she saw. But this game someone was positioned in the right spot.

"Everything I hit that game just went right to somebody," Monson said. "It was total frustration."

While Monson wasn't aware that she was about to break a record, she knew that she was on an extended hitting streak when one of her assistant coaches mentioned it to her when she was in the mid-teens.

The left-handed Monson describes herself as a slap hitter. Ninety-one of her 96 base hits this season were singles.

"I hit a lot of groundballs, and I get a lot of infield hits," said Monson, who bats leadoff for the Wildcats. "I'm aggressive and normally swing at the first couple of pitches."

Monson, who was raised in Marysville, Washington, began her college career at Kent State. After her freshman year, she transferred closer to home to Everett Community College where she played soccer instead of softball.

The following year she decided to attend Central Washington and continue her soccer career. But the last two seasons, she has played only softball.

"I went back and forth between the two sports," Monson said. "Every time I'm playing one, I miss the other one. It was hard to decide."

Having her named in the NCAA softball record book should confirm that she made a good choice.