84. Peaches James
Softball / Papillion / Born: 1982
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Papillion-La Vista High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Texas Thunder and New York/New Jersey Juggernaut
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Kari Shank, who played at Creighton. "She was my catcher during the summer, so she knew me the best when I was throwing against her."
Best moment as an athlete: Going to the Women's College World Series her sophomore year in college
Early sign of greatness: She made the varsity softball team as a freshman at Papillion-La Vista. "That's when I realized it was a sport I would continue in."
There used to be a time when the best softball teams only hailed from the West Coast. Peaches James changed that.
The former Papillion-La Vista and Nebraska star put Nebraska softball on the map with her dominating presence and performances in the pitcher's circle.
"Once I got to college and started playing the UCLAs and Arizonas and being successful, that's when I realized, somebody from Nebraska can be just as good," James said.
James finished her career in Nebraska as the state's most decorated pitcher. She finished her senior year at Papio with a 0.04 ERA, pitched three consecutive perfect games and threw 162 1/3 consecutive shutout innings between 1998 and 1999.
She led Nebraska to a berth in the 2002 Women's College World Series before finishing her career with 98 wins and ranking first in school history with 945 strikeouts and 44 shutouts.
Peaches became synonymous with softball in Nebraska. Since she started pitching at Papillion as a teenager, her success always brought expectations that she often lived up to. At a summer tournament in Topeka, Kan., James won eight games in one day as her team battled back through the losers' bracket to qualify for a national tournament, winning the final game after midnight.
"I would play how I know how to play, not try to live up to those expectations," she said.
-- Michael Bruntz
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Papillion-La Vista High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Texas Thunder and New York/New Jersey Juggernaut
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Kari Shank, who played at Creighton. "She was my catcher during the summer, so she knew me the best when I was throwing against her."
Best moment as an athlete: Going to the Women's College World Series her sophomore year in college
Early sign of greatness: She made the varsity softball team as a freshman at Papillion-La Vista. "That's when I realized it was a sport I would continue in."
