Stephanie Fischer
Stephanie Fischer
Year: 2005-08
Hometown: Stevens Point, Wis.
Team: Softball
Induction Year: 2018

It took a lot of pieces to put together the run that Tennessee Tech softball had in the 2000s. Amazing pitching, stellar hitting – and one of the best hitters during that run was Stephanie Fischer.

In the 2008 campaign, Fischer followed up the NCAA-leading effort her teammate Beth Boden accomplished in 2007 and took it a step further. Not only was Fischer the statistical champion in home runs with 27, which stands to this day as both a Tennessee Tech and Ohio Valley Conference record, she was also the statistical champion in home runs per game (0.43) and slugging percentage (1.019, which then tied for the third-best in NCAA history for a single season – it has since fallen to 12th all-time).

Her 27 home runs now currently stand as the 16th best season in NCAA history, 10 of those ahead of her coming after her career came to a close.

But her efforts helped lead the Tech softball team to consecutive 50-win seasons, three consecutive Ohio Valley Conference tournament championships, back-to-back OVC regular-season titles and three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances.

Fischer owns the single-game Tech records in home runs (three against East Tennessee State in 2008), total bases (12 in the same game), as well as tied for most walks in a game with four (against Tennessee State and Eastern Kentucky in 2008).

She holds single-season Tech records in batting average (.457), home runs (27), runs batted in (66) and walks (48). Fischer also ranks third in hits (81), second in runs scored (53) and second in doubles (21).

In the career charts, she ranks sixth in batting average (.344), eighth in at-bats (727), fourth in runs scored (134), second in total bases (443), first in doubles (56), second in home runs (45), first in runs batted in (171) and second in walks (96).

She was named to the NFCA All-Region first team, then the NFCA All-American second team in 2008 – officially making her the program's only All-American in team history. Fischer was also the OVC's Player of the Year that same season. Twice she was named to the All-OVC First Team and she also took home OVC All-Tournament honors two times.

She was also named Tech Athletics' Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year and to CoSIDA's Academic All-American second team in 2008.

Fischer graduated from Tech with a degree in accounting in 2009, then went on to continue her studies at Marquette.

She signed with the Rockford Thunder of the National Pro Fastpitch League as a free agent and played one season.