WINONA, Minn. — Jennifer (Gutterman) Becker B’06 never paid any attention to her statistics during her playing days as a member of the Saint Mary’s University fastpitch softball team.
Maybe she didn’t, but others certainly did, and those numbers were jaw-dropping — so much so that Becker has solidified a spot among greatest of the Cardinal greats, and earned her rightful place in the Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Becker, along with Bruna Bucciarelli B’76, George Drouches B’78, Mark Staub B’88, and Jen (Schipp) Stewart B’06, will be recognized and honored as part of the second annual Cardinal Excellence Fund Dinner, which will be held at Visions Event Center in Winona on Saturday.
“When I first found out I was being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame, I had to pause — I was speechless,” said Becker, who played four years alongside fellow inductee Stewart. “It’s such a great honor to be inducted, and it’s really hard to put into words how much it means.”
A four-year regular on the Cardinal fastpitch softball team, Becker helped lead the Cardinals to an NCAA Regional appearance in 2005, while closing out her collegiate career as one of the most prolific hitters in program history.
Earning conference post-season honors in all four seasons — an honorable-mention selection as a freshman and a First-Team pick as a sophomore, junior, and senior — Becker was also named Second Team All-Region following each of her final three seasons. Becker, who started every game during her four-year collegiate career, boasted a career batting average of .379 (209-for-552) with 30 doubles, 16 triples, six home runs, and 62 RBIs. She holds single-season records in games played (49), at-bats (168), and triples (8), and is the program leader in games played (162), at-bats (552), and triples (16), while sitting No. 2 all-time in hits (209).
“When I was playing, I never really worried about what my stats were — I was just out there having fun playing the game of softball with an amazing group of teammates,” Becker said. “Now, looking back, it’s pretty crazy to see all that I’ve accomplished.”