College athlete of the week

Danielle Monson

SR. | Central Washington UNIVERSITY

SOFTball

Hometown: Marysville (Marysville-Pilchuck)

What she did: In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Northwest Nazarene, she extended her hitting streak to 40 games _ the longest in the history of NCAA Division II softball. For her efforts, Monson was named GNAC pitcher of the week.

What’s next: Monson, who leads CWU in hitting (.516) and on-base percentage (.543), takes the Wildcats to Montana State-Billings for games Saturday and Sunday before wrapping up the regular season next weekend.

The two-minute drill

You hit safely in an NCAA Division II record 40 consecutive games, then went 0-for-4 in a 6-5 win over Northwest Nazarene on Sunday. So by Danielle Monson standards, can we say you’re in a slump?

I hope not. But it was definitely frustrating, after doing so well all weekend, to not get a hit in that last game. Hopefully, this week, I’ll start hitting again and it will be fine.

How close were you to extending the streak in that game?

I had a lot of really close hits, but they were all at people. There was one time when it would’ve been a hit for me, but there was someone on base, and they got them out.

So what’s the key to hitting safely in 40 straight games?

I’m quick, so that helps a lot. I get a lot of infield hits. I’m a slap-hitter.

And you’re a lefty, which must help in softball.

Yeah, it helps a lot. I’m already a couple of steps ahead. All I have to do is get the ball in play.

If a pitcher has a no-hitter going, it’s common practice for teammates to stay away in the dugout. So did your teammates avoid you for 40 games, fearing that they might jinx it?

No. I don’t think a lot of people knew about it until the very end. I didn’t even know how close I was until the day of, the day I could have broken it with the 40th hit. Nobody talked about it. A couple parents had looked it up and found out how close it was, and they were the ones who found out.

And the day you set the record was also the day the streak got snapped, because it was a doubleheader. So did you finding out about the streak have anything to do with it coming to an end?

I don’t think so. But I definitely was thinking about it a lot. I had it in my mind. But I don’t think that was the reason.

So in your last at-bat that day, were there some nerves about keeping the streak alive?

I really tried not to think about it too much. It was there in my mind. But I had gotten it to 40, and it would’ve been nice to keep it going, and it was just nice to get there.

For a college athlete, you’re pretty well-traveled. Can you fill us in about your journey from Kent University to Everett CC and then to Central Washington?

I went to Kent after they recruited me, and I liked the school and everything, but I love soccer and really missed it. So I wanted to come home and play soccer. I kind of wanted to play both sports, so I figured Everett would be a good spot. So I came home and played softball and soccer. Then after a year, I was choosing between Western and Central. And I knew a lot of people here (at Central), so I decided to come here and play soccer. I played soccer my junior year, and then I called the softball coaches the next year and asked if I could come out.

So are you still playing two sports?

No, I didn’t play soccer this year. I still have two more years of eligibility in soccer, but I’m pretty much done with school. So …

This is a random question, but you’re name is Danielle Monson, and one of the most famous coaches in Washington is former Gonzaga basketball coach Dan Monson. Are you guys related?

No, we’re not. But I’ve heard that quite a few times.

And speaking of names, it seems like Danielle is a pretty good name for softball players in this state. Have you ever met Washington’s Danielle Lawrie?

Yeah, we played together briefly in ASA. We competed against each other.

So you’ve faced her then?

Yeah.

And how did you do?

I don’t remember back that far. I do know I got a hit off her.

So if you faced her during your recent streak, would you have gotten a hit?

I hope so.

You do realize she’s a senior, so you won’t have to worry about facing her. Wouldn’t you rather say that you’d go 3-for-4 with a homer?

Oh, yeah. I’d hit a homer off of her for sure. (Laughs)

Seriously, though, what did that national championship that Danielle Lawrie and the Huskies won last year do for the sport of fastpitch in this state?

It definitely put more attention on it. I know a lot more people are excited about Washington softball and are coming out and supporting the team because of it. It shows what can happen.

Are the Wildcats planning a similar ending to this season?

Hopefully. We have two more weekends left, and we’re two games up right now. Hopefully we’ll make it to the playoffs.

But you’ll have to go on another streak for that to happen, right?

No. The whole team will have to come out solid, and our pitchers will have to be solid for that to happen. So it’s about the team.

Scott M. Johnson, Herald Writer