Brittany Gardner

Classroom

Gardner is a two-time Horizon League Academic Honor Roll selection and a NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete. A member of the Horizon League Softball All-Academic Team, she carries a 3.59 grade-point average as a Social Work major with a minor in Psychology of Crime and Justice. She interns in the Community Violence Prevention Program at the Chicago Youth Centers, providing support and counseling to teenagers on parole.

Character

Gardner was one of 25 rising seniors named to the university’s prestigious Maroon & Gold Society for the 2013-14 academic year, awarded to those who demonstrate a commitment to leadership, academic excellence and service to others. Through the society, Gardner has acted as a liaison between the student body and university president. The senior is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

Community

A member of the 2013 Loyola softball team that was awarded the Horizon League Community Outreach Award, annually given to one team at each institution for its outstanding work in the community, Gardner has volunteered her time at MacNeal Hospital for the past ten years. The senior organized a clothing closet for the hospital’s discharged patients and also organized a clothing drive in order to supply extra inventory.

Competition

Gardner has cemented herself as one of the top pitchers ever to wear a Loyola uniform, becoming the first hurler in Loyola history to be named a First-Team All-Horizon League selection in each of her first three seasons. In 2013, she posted a 16-10 record with a career-low 2.18 ERA and fanned 174 in 176.2 innings of work to lead Loyola to a share of the Horizon League regular season title. She became Loyola’s career leader in strikeouts in 2013 and will enter her season needing only three wins to tie the all-time school record (51). As a sophomore, she put together a record-setting season in which she went 18-10 with a 2.69 ERA and 17 complete games in 169.1 innings of work, setting a Loyola single-season record with 205 strikeouts and 10 shutouts. She also tossed the third no-hitter of her career in 2012. For her efforts, she was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and awarded NFCA Second Team All-Great Lakes Region honors. In 2011, Gardner enjoyed one of the best seasons ever by a freshman pitcher in school history when she was named Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Horizon League to lead Loyola to the Horizon League title. Gardner tied the Loyola single-season record for wins by a freshman (14) and posted a 2.28 ERA with 187 strikeouts in 190.0 innings pitched.