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2004 SOFTBALL
COACHES
Continuing the tradition of success which has built the Cal State Fullerton softball program into one of the most prestigious programs in the nation, Head Coach Michelle Gromacki returns for her fifth season at the helm. Gromacki returned to her alma mater as head coach in 2000 after spending five years as an assistant to legendary Hall of Fame Head Coach Judi Garman, who retired following the 1999 campaign. And while the length of service is not yet equal to that of Garman’s, Gromacki’s tenure has been filled with accomplishments and accolades just as impressive. Under her tutelage, Gromacki’s Titans have staked their claim to the last four consecutive Big West Conference championships, bringing the program’s total to seven league crowns overall – the most of any other school in the history of the conference. After a two-year absence, Fullerton has reached the NCAA Regionals in each of the last five years (the last four under Gromacki), even earning a bid into the 2002 regional championship game for the first time since 1995 (the last Fullerton squad to reach the Women’s College World Series) before falling to eventual national champion California, 1-0. Gromacki’s teams have finished in the top 20 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s poll in each of her four seasons, including top-10 finishes in 2002 (No. 9) and 2003 (No. 10). The Titans also finished ninth in the inaugural year of the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches poll. Gromacki’s head coaching career got off to a great start in her rookie year in 2000, leading an inexperienced Titan squad to a 45-15 overall record and the school’s first Big West title since 1993 with a 19-5 mark – the best conference finish for the Titans since the 1995 squad finished second. For her efforts, Gromacki was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year. With a little more experience under its belt in 2001, Cal State Fullerton won its second consecutive league crown thanks to a 19-2 record and finished the year 48-14 overall after a tough NCAA regional in Tucson, Ariz. The 2002 season was a banner year for Titans softball as Gromacki led Fullerton to a 53-13 overall record, posting the most victories in a season since Gromacki helped the Titans to 59 wins as a player in 1987. Fullerton clinched its third-straight conference title wih a 22-2 mark, posting the best single-season conference winning percentage in school history. That campaign featured a 32-game winning streak (the second-longest in the history of the program and the second-longest in the nation that season) and Gromacki’s 100th career coaching victory. She became the fastest coach in school history to 100 wins (134 games), besting Garman (142 games) and former baseball coach Augie Garrido’s previous record of 135 games. Last year, featuring a roster chock-full of talented seniors, Gromacki piloted the Titans to a 41-15 overall record and a 20-1 mark in the Big West to clinch the program’s fourth consecutive league title. The Titans broke the school record for best Big West winning percentage (.952) and hosted the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1996. Gromacki has been honored by her peers throughout her coaching career, serving as head coach on three Speedline/NFCA West Region Coaching Staff’s of the Year in the last four seasons (2000, 2002-03). She has even taken her talents to the next level for the past three years, serving as an assistant coach for the USA Blue Team in 2001 and the U.S. “Elite” National Team in 2002-03, competing in international tournaments and serving as the “sparring partner” for the U.S. National Team. In 2003, she helped lead the “Elite” Team to a gold medal at the Canada Cup with an 11-1 record and a roster which featured former Titans Gina Oaks and Jodie Cox. Cox was named MVP of the tournament, posting a 3-0 record without allowing an earned run in 19 innings and striking out 15. Gromacki’s coaching career began in 1995 as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, helping the Titans to a 184-129 (.588) overall record and a 79-69 (.534) mark in Big West play in five seasons. Fullerton posted a 20-8 league record in her first season as an assistant (46-17 overall) and finished second in the conference before advancing to the Women’s College World Series. 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 the Big West as a player while claiming the 1986 NCAA National Championship. In 1995, Gromacki was invited to participate in the first-ever Olympic try-out camp and led the Redding Rebels to three ASA Women’s Major Fastpitch National Championships. She was named an ASA All-American in 1995 – an honor she has earned eight times throughout her playing career. Gromacki was also selected as a member of the U.S. National Team that participated in the tournament to open the Olympic Softball Complex in Columbus, Ga., prior to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. In 1994, Gromacki was a member of several U.S. National Teams which claimed gold medals at the South Pacific Classic Tournament, the World Championships in Canada, and the Pam Am Qualifier in Guatemala. She was a participant in the Olympic Sports Festival in St. Louis as both a player and assistant coach. From 1985-92, Gromacki participated in three Olympic Sports Festivals and was a member of two U.S. National Teams that took gold medals in international competition in China (1987) and Japan (1985). She also spent eight months playing on a travelling team in New Zealand from 1988-89. Aside from playing, Gromacki has also been involved in numerous activities to promote the sport of softball. She was responsible for Junior Olympic try-outs and Pan Am Team practicies held at Cal State Fullerton, has conducted numerous coaching 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. A native of Antioch, Calif., Gromacki currently resides in Huntington Beach. Her parents are Rick and Adeline.
* 2003 marked the first year of the ESPN.com/USA Softball
Coaches Poll... first ranking listed is the NFCA Poll.
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