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2002 Softball
Turns out you can go home again. Now entering her third season at the helm of the Cal State Fullerton softball team, head coach Michelle Gromacki has not only come back to the school which she helped lead on the field to a NCAA National Championship in 1986, but she now has the Titans once again on the verge of breaking through into the Women’s College World Series as the Titans’ head coach. Hired as an assistant coach to the legendary Judi Garman back in 1995, Gromacki assumed the reins of the program in the 2000 season after Garman retired. And, with the job Gromacki has done, Garman would be proud. In her two seasons as head coach, Gromacki has led the Titans to back-to-back Big West Conference titles (their first outright crowns since that fabled 1986 season) and two trips to the NCAA Regionals. In her head coaching debut in 2000, Gromacki led a young Titan squad to a 45-15 overall mark including a 19-5 slate in the Big West Conference. Last year the Titans had more experience and more victories to show for it, finishing 48-14 overall and a remarkable 19-2 in the competitive Big West -- the school’s best record in conference play in the history of the program. However, Gromacki and the Titans are still looking for that first WCWS berth after they were eliminated from the Fresno regional in 2000 by the host Bulldogs and placed third in 2001 at the regional of the eventual national champion Arizona Wildcats. In addition, Gromacki and former assistants (Kelly Ford and Justin Kloczo) were named the top coaching staff in the west region for the 2000 season. Last summer, Gromacki was included in a group of only six coaches to attend the Team USA summer program from which future international coaching staffs will be assembled. As an assistant coach, Gromacki helped lead the Titans to a 184-129 (.588) overall record and a 79-69 (.534) Big West mark in five seasons. Fullerton posted a 20-8 league record in her first season as an assistant in 1995 (46-17 overall) and finished second in the conference before advancing to the College World Series where they finished fifth. PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Regarded as one of the best catchers in the nation, Gromacki helped lead the Titans to a combined 170-19-1 overall record and a 65-10-1 mark in conference play while also helping to lead the Titans to the 1986 National Championship. In 1995, Gromacki was invited to participate in the first-ever Olympic try-out camp and helped lead the Redding Rebels to three of four ASA Women's Major Fastpitch National Championships while being named an ASA All-American, an honor she has earned eight times throughout her career. She was also selected as a member of the USA National Team who participated in the tournament to open the Olympic Complex in Columbus, GA, for the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. In 1994, Gromacki was a member of several USA National Teams which claimed gold medals at the South Pacific Classic Tournament, the World Championships in Canada, and the Pan Am Qualifier in Guatemala. She was a participant in the Olympic Sports Festival in St. Louis, acting as both a player and an assistant coach to Ralph Weekly. From 1985-92, Gromacki participated in three Olympic Sports Festivals and was a member of two USA National Teams that took gold medals in international competition in China (1987) and Japan (1985). She also spent eight months playing on a traveling team in New Zealand from 1988-89. Aside from playing, Gromacki has also been involved in numerous other activities to promote the sport of softball. She was responsible for Junior Olympic try outs and Pan Am Team practices held at Cal State Fullerton, has conducted numerous clinics and speaking engagements around the world, and conducted a clinic in Italy, spending three days working with the Italian Junior Olympic National Team. Gromacki is also a contributor to numerous athletic publications, including authoring a monthly column for Southern California Softball Magazine and writing articles for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association newsletter. PERSONAL: A native of Antioch, Calif., Gromacki currently resides in Huntington Beach. Her parents are Rick and Adeline.
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