University of the Pacific

Cindy Ball finished her career as the greatest two-way player in Pacific program history and as one of the most dominant pitchers and hitters in Pacific and Big West history.  Cindy was a two-time NFCA All-American in 2001 and 2002, ending her career as the program’s career leader in innings pitched (883.1), wins (91), saves (10), strikeouts (761), shutouts (46) and RBIs (111).  She since has dropped to fourth in career RBIs while remaining No. 1 in each of the other five categories.

The Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2001 and 2002, Ball posted a 33-9 record as a junior and a 28-11 mark as a senior and holds program single season records in wins (33 in 2001), saves (six in 2002), strikeouts (291 in 2002) and shutouts (18 in 2001).  

Cindy’s dominance both in the circle and at the plate led the Tigers to a 50-win season in 2001, the most wins in a single season for any Tiger squad in program history.  She was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America First Team.  As a sophomore in 2001, Ball recorded a 21-12 mark in the circle with a 1.29 ERA in 234 innings of work.  She led the Big West Conference with 192 strikeouts and was named All-Big West First Team as a pitcher.  Cindy pitched her first career no-hitter in an 8-0 defeat of Colorado State on March 3, 2000. 

After her time at Pacific, Ball continued her softball career, playing professionally during the 2002 season in Italy and with the Stockton-Sacramento Sunbirds of the National Pro Fastpitch League in 2004. 

After her playing career, Cindy joined the Tigers' coaching staff where she spent four seasons in the dugout for Pacific from 2002-06.  After Pacific, she took the head job at Modesto Junior College and Cosumnes River College, where she restarted a defunct program and turned it into one of the premiere junior college programs in California.  In 2010, Ball joined former Pacific Softball assistant Heather Tarr on the staff of the Washington Huskies softball program as an assistant coach in charge of guiding the pitching staff and outfielders. 

Ball graduated from Pacific in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Science and completed a master’s degree in Education at Pacific in 2005.