July 28, 1998
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State softball team has hired former University of Michigan pitching and batting standout Sara Griffin as an assistant coach, head coach Linda Wells announced Tuesday. Griffin will join fifth-year assistant Ann Pedersen as Wells second assistant.
Griffin, a three-time first-team All-American performer, will help tutor the Sun Devil pitchers, catchers as well as utilize her batting experience. Griffin will also assist in youth camps, community events and various administrative duties.
Sara was an outstanding player in the juniors and her career numbers at Michigan speak for themselves, says Wells. She will bring a lot of valuable skills and experience to Arizona State, particularly for our new pitchers.
The Simi Valley, California native, Griffin played for the gold-medal winning South Team at the 1993 Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas and was a member of the selection process from 1993-98.
At Michigan, Griffin led the Wolverines to three NCAA World Series appearances, and three Big Ten and Regional championship titles (1995-97).
In addition to garnering Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 1995, Griffin was a two-time first-team Big Ten selection and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (1995-96).
During her four-year career, Griffin posted an all-time best 106-19 record with a 1.14 earned-run average and finished second with a .384 batting average. Griffin also topped Michigans career marks in hits (275), doubles (58), RBIs (184), innings pitched (805), strikeouts (602), shutouts (40) and winning percentage (.848).
An Academic All-Big Ten selection, Griffin earned her bachelors degree in communications this past May and was a two-time Athletic Academic award winner for posting a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Arizona State, who made their sixth postseason appearance in the past nine years, finished the 1998 season ranked 15th in the country by the NFCA/USA Today poll with a 38-27 record.
The Sun Devils 1999 campaign begins February 12 as they host their annual 18-team Fiesta Bowl Classic tournament (formerly Coke-Cola Classic) at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex.