BOCA RATON, FL (December 7, 2013) –Florida Atlantic University head softball coach Joan Joyce was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame on Friday night.
Joyce is the only coach in the history of FAU softball. She has guided FAU softball to 10 conference championships, including eight in a row while in the Atlantic Sun, and set a league record for total titles by a sport. The Owls transitioned into the Sun Belt Conference in 2007 and set the tone by capturing the program’s first SBC title. FAU has made seven NCAA tournament appearances under Joyce’s direction.
Joyce came to FAU after a legendary softball career which garnered the Connecticut native All-America honors 15 times, including a National Tournament batting title (.467). She tallied a career pitching record of 753-42. Included in those totals are 150 no-hit, no-run games, and 50 perfect games. She also is credited with striking out both Ted Williams and Hank Aaron.
The NFCA Hall of Fame induction is the 11th such honor for Joyce. She also has been enshrined into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, the Han O’Donnell Hall of Fame, the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame, the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame, The National Amateur Softball Hall of Fame, the Greater Waterbury Hall of Fame, and is just one of a handful of Americans who have been inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.
The Owls begin their 2014 season on Friday, February 7 when they host Northern Illinois as part of the FAU Kick-Off Classic.
