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 Christine Hornak amassed 52 wins in the circle in two seasons at UNC Greensboro (Photo courtesy of UNCG Sports Information) |
July 7, 2009
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head softball coach Christine Hornak will be inducted to the UNC Greensboro Athletics Hall of Fame as a part of its 10th induction class all time it was announced today by Interim Director of Athletics, Rod Wyatt.
Hornak is among three individuals and one national championship team that will be inducted as a part of UNCG's Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 26. The induction ceremony will be held at the Proximity Hotel, followed by special ceremonies at halftime during that night's men's soccer match against Charlotte.
"I was blessed with the opportunity to play for a great team, coach, and school during my time at UNC Greensboro," said Hornak on her upcoming induction into the hall that includes 49 individuals, a small group of scholarship program supporters and four teams. "I appreciate the recognition, am honored to join such a special group of athletes at UNCG."
Hornak played her final two seasons at UNC Greensboro (1997 and `98), helping the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA Softball Tournament appearance. She was the 1997 Big South Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP on the way to the NCAA Tournament.
In her two seasons, she recorded 52 wins inside the circle and was named the Big South Pitcher of the Week five times. Despite playing just two seasons, Hornak's 52 wins ranks third on the UNCG career list. Her 27 wins in her junior year ranked in the Top 20 nationally, including a perfect game against the University of Maine, 8-0. The 27 wins and her 278 1/3 innings pitched, 262 strikeouts and 35 complete games in 1997 are still single-season records at UNCG. She also recorded 399 strikeouts during her two seasons with the Spartans.
 WCU head softball coach Christine Hornak  |
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Entering her fourth year as the head coach at Western Carolina, Hornak ironically also ended UNCG's hopes of an earlier NCAA Tournament appearance. In 1995, she defeated the Spartans twice in a CCA Play-In Series as a freshman phenom at Campbell University, leading the Camels to their first NCAA Tournament prior to transferring.
In two seasons pitching at Campbell, Hornak amassed a career record of 43-19 with a school-record 1.20 earned run average. She holds the school career record for shutouts with 19 and ranks in the all-time top 10 in wins (43), appearances (69), games started (53), complete games (51), innings pitched (398) and strikeouts (245). In her freshman season (1994), Hornak posted a Campbell record 0.80 ERA thanks to a school-record 13 shutouts.
Hornak took over the young Catamount program in 2007 after helping guide Virginia Tech to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and '06. Prior to her stint in Blacksburg, the St. Louis, Mo., native spent two seasons (2003-04) as the pitching coach at Campbell after earning her start in the coaching profession serving as a volunteer pitching coach at Greensboro College (2001-02).
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