Courtesy of Florida State Athletics
Tallahassee, Fla. – The Athletics Hall of Fame at Florida State University is inducting seven members on Friday, September 5, including former softball star Jessica van der Linden Boulware. Playing for the Seminoles from 2001-2004, van der Linden Boulware was an amazing pitcher, fielder and hitter and was named the 2004 USA Softball National Player of the Year.
Joining van der Linden Boulware in the 2014 Hall of Fame class is Amp Lee, who played nine seasons in the NFL, as well as the top tackler in Seminole football history Aaron Carter, a pioneer in women’s athletic Harlien Johnson, one of FSU’s greatest swimmers Sara Linke Valentine, baseball star Jeremy Morris and Moore-Stone Award winner Russ Morcom.
The 2014 class will be formally inducted at a banquet the night before the Seminole’s first home football game. A very limited number of tickets to the event are available to the public for $75 via email at fsuhalloffame@gmail.com or by calling 850-556-0433.
Jessica van der Linden Boulware
Softball
Florida State softball star Jessica van der Linden is among the most highly decorated athletes in the history of FSU and widely considered one of the best to ever play the game collegiately.
A pitcher and outfielder from Cerritos, Calif., van der Linden swept the USA Softball Player of the Year and the Honda Award as a senior in 2004. In addition she was a back-to-back ACC Player of the Year selection in 2003 and 2004 and was also a two-time first team NFCA and Easton All-American those same seasons.
Jessica is considered the most complete player in FSU softball history with hall of fame worthy achievements as a hitter, pitcher and outfielder. She averaged over .400 as a hitter in 2003 and 2004, won 29 games with 20 shutouts her senior season in the circle and finished her career with a .361 batting average and 76 wins. She led the Seminoles to the Women’s College World Series in 2002 and 2004.
Van der Linden was a three-time All-ACC selection as well as the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2001. In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the ACC, the top 50 players in league history in each sport were named and Jessica was selected as one of the all-time Top 50. Van der Linden is married to former FSU football player and 2004 NFL draft pick Michael Boulware.
