
Lisa Fernandez
gold-medal pitcher
Lisa Fernandez grew up in a sports household. Her dad played semipro baseball in Cuba; her mom played slowpitch {sometimes with Lisa in the family living room!}. When she graduated to competitive fastpitch softball, her coach told her that she didn't have the build to be a pitcher. Not only did Lisa refuse to step away from the mound, she became the best player in the history of the game.
Her senior year at UCLA, she led the nation in both pitching + batting. And, was understandably dubbed the NCAA's top female athlete. When women's softball became an Olympic sport, Lisa promised her country would top the podium. She led Team USA to 3 golds in a row. Today, the former Bruins pitcher is now a Bruins coach who has turned her winning experiences into wisdom, inspiration + drive for the next generation of ace players.
mentality | a self-discipline + drive that made her excel
prep | relentless training to be ready for any game ~ even the ones that went 25 innings in 100-degree heat...
winning | 0.930 winning average in college + 2 NCAA championship titles + 3 Olympic golds
1993 | became the first softball player to win the Honda Cup for the nation's top female collegiate athlete
2000 | set the Olympic single-game strikeout record {25} on the road to gold
2013 | inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame
from | to
tween who was told her arms were too short for pitching | the greatest softball player of all time
born on
February 22, 1971
born in
Lakewood, California
birth name
Lisa Fernandez
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
Antonio Fernandez
~ Cuban immigrant who played semipro baseball ~
Emilia Fernandez
~ Puerto Rican immigrant who played slowpitch ~
sister of
1 sister | Elsie
lives in
Long Beach, California
educated at
St. Joseph High School
~ Lakewood, CA ~
UCLA
~ Los Angeles, CA | BS in psych | 1993 ~
married to
Michael Lujan
mother of
2 sons | Antonio + Cruz
in her spare time
golfs, runs softball clinics, does motivational speaking
advocate for
softball + women in sports
image credit
Lisa Fernandez | www.lisafernandez16.com
collapse bio bits"The greatest things are the challenges; that’s what you remember the most."
Long Beach Magazine | july 2011
"In case the game did go 25 innings and it was 110 degrees, I wanted to be ready to compete. And, still wanted to be at my best from the first inning to the 25th inning or however long it took."
Long Beach Magazine | july 2011
"If I didn’t play hard enough, then we didn’t play. If I cheated, then we didn’t play...If I cried, it wasn’t going to happen. My dad said, ‘You play with heart and guts.’ That is what was instilled in me."
An athlete for all seasons | september 2012
"If you have a love for this game, then show it. And encourage a girl to do the same."
An athlete for all seasons | september 2012
"Physically, I don't necessarily think I'm any different than anybody else. It's my mentality...that's allowed me to push myself farther than most would ever go."
Fastpitch Softball TV | june 2015
"Who’s the one that—when no one else is watching—is really going to do something that’s going to separate them?"
Fastpitch Softball TV | june 2015
"It’s easy to be great when everybody’s watching. And to push yourself. But, when no one’s watching, when you’re training alone, you have to have that inner voice that’s really going to push you over the edge."
Fastpitch Softball TV | june 2015
for further reading about Lisa Fernandez:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson
Bruins all-star
During her college career at UCLA, Lisa was a 4-time All-American + 2-time National Champion. She won NCAA's award for top softball player 3 times + the Honda cup for best overall female collegiate athlete her senior year when she topped the national charts in both batting average {.510} + pitching ERA {0.23}. Her overall record? 93-7.
UCLA Athletics
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Team USA leader
When softball made its debut as an Olympic event in 1996, Lisa's dominating performances helped raise the international profile of the sport. Besides winning 3 gold medals as the star pitcher + batter for Team USA, she set the single-game strikeout record {25} in 2000 and the highest overall batting average {.545} in 2004.
Team USA
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winning coaching
Lisa joined the coaching staff at UCLA in 1997. In 2014, Bruins softball leaders were named the West Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association after posting a 52-8 record.
UCLA Athletics
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