Tammy Williams

Classroom

Majoring in human development and psychological services with a minor in business institutions, Tammy expects to graduate this June.  She completed an internship at Children’s Memorial Hospital working with special needs children.  Tammy plans to apply her education to a career in child psychology, a goal she has worked towards through both her educational program and volunteer opportunities

Character

Tammy inherited her love of softball from her dad, Everett, who taught her the game.  Everett passed away from cancer in 2000 when Tammy was 13 years old and Tammy constantly credits him for her passion and ability to play the game “the way it was meant to be played.”  A National Honor Society member in high school, Tammy was mere weeks away from attending a community college to help gain further exposure to fulfill her dream of playing DI softball when head coach Kate Drohan saw her play and recruited her to Northwestern. Tammy regularly thanks Kate for the opportunity and for “changing my life.”  Tammy is known for her tireless work ethic. She holds the Northwestern strength and conditioning record for a female student-athlete in any sport in a competition called “Iron ’Cat,” which measures an athlete’s performance across a variety of strength and conditioning disciplines. Being called one of the nation’s best hitters by ESPN.com did not happen by accident. Tammy constantly takes extra BP. During a break from class, she’ll request a coach or teammate come to the cages with her to hit. She is the leader of a group of teammates who take extra BP nearly every single day.

Community

Through her interest in her major of human development and psych services, Tammy has volunteered with the Special Olympics and did an internship at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  She has volunteered at the Kohl’s Children’s Museum. Tammy has also been a pen pal with several kids from in and around her hometown in Osceola, Mo. The town has a population of only a few hundred, making Tammy quite a local celebrity and hero to kids there.  Tammy is very active in the Girls in the Game program in Chicago along with several teammates and coaches. Girls in the Game provides and promotes sports & fitness opportunities, nutrition & health education, and leadership development to enhance the overall health and well-being of all girls.

Competition

Tammy is on pace to become one of the most accomplished offensive players in NCAA Division I history.  A three-time NFCA All-American, Tammy earned third-team honors as a freshman and first-team accolades in 2007-08.  She led Northwestern to the Women’s College World Series finals in 2006 and semifinals in 2007, earning WCWS All-Tournament team accolades in both seasons.  She was a top-10 finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award in 2008 and a top-25 finalist for the award in 2007. Currently, she is on the watch list for the 2009 USA Softball Player of the Year award.  Tammy is a USA Softball Women’s National Team selection camp invitee and a two-time ESPN.com preseason All-America first team honoree.  She was tabbed 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year, 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a three-time All-Big Ten selection.  Tammy already holds Northwestern school records for runs, hits and batting average, and is on pace to break NU’s all-time marks for total bases. Additionally, she holds NU single-season records for batting average, runs, hits, total bases and on-base percentage and also holds the school records with a 24-game hitting streak and 17-game run-scoring streak in 2007.  Tammy is on pace to finish in the top-25 in NCAA history in runs scored, hits, hit by pitch and batting average and is slated to hit the 50-home run plateau for her career with a chance to break the NU school record of 55.