University of Massachusets Athletics
Danielle Henderson Named Volunteer Assistant
September 02, 2003 | Softball
Sept. 2, 2003
AMHERST, Mass. - University of Massachusetts softball Head Coach Elaine Sortino has announced that Danielle Henderson will join the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant for the 2004 season. Henderson, who was a four-year pitcher for the Minutewomen, has served as the team's assistant coach for the past four years.
"Having Danielle back is a great addition for us," said Sortino. "She brings a great deal of knowledge and really understands the program. We are all very excited that she is going to stay in the UMass Softball family."
A member of the gold medal-winning 2000 U.S. Olympic softball team and 2001 WPSL Gold team, Henderson was inducted into the New England Women's Sports Hall of Fame last winter.
Henderson, one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in NCAA history, rewrote the UMass record book in her four seasons on the mound. A three-time All-America selection, Henderson was a four-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and a four-time A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Henderson capped her brilliant UMass career in 1999 by winning the Honda Award, given annually to the nation's top softball player. During the summer of that year, Henderson competed as part of the U.S. National Team that captured the gold medal at the Pan American Games and the Canada Cup.
The holder of 25 school records, Henderson finished her career second all-time on the NCAA's strikeout list with 1,343 in her four-year career. The nation's leader in strikeouts per seven innings in both 1998 and 1999, Henderson completed her career with two of the top 10 strikeout seasons, with 465 K's in 1999, which ranks fourth, and 430 strikeouts in 1998, which ranks sixth. In 1999, Henderson set a new NCAA record for consecutive scoreless innings, stretching out 105 scoreless frames from March 16-May 2. She also reeled off a 26-game win streak (Feb. 27-May 21), which ranks as the seventh-best streak in NCAA history.
In her four-year career, she posted a 108-35 record in 161 appearances (964 innings), a 0.70 ERA, 72 shutouts, 135 complete games, and threw an astounding 14 no-hitters and three perfect games. She ranks in the top 20 in NCAA history in strikeouts, games, innings, starts, complete games, victories, strikeout ratio and shutouts. In 2001, Henderson was recognized for her accomplishments by becoming the first player in UMass softball history to have her jersey retired.
A native of Commack, N.Y., she earned her bachelor's degree in Sport Management from UMass in the spring of 1999.
