University of the Pacific

Stockton, Calif. - Four individuals and one team will be inducted into the University of the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in its annual induction ceremonies on Saturday, April 26, 2014.

Induction ceremonies and the annual awards banquet will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2014, at the Alex G. Spanos Center on the Pacific campus. A social hour begins at 6:00 p.m., with dinner and the induction program beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available by contacting the Pacific Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at (209) 946-3945.

Following are brief biographical sketches of the 2013-14 Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.

Cindy Ball (1999-2002)
Cindy Ball finished her career as the greatest two-way player in Pacific program history as one of the most dominant pitchers and hitters in Pacific and Big West history.  As a player, Cindy was a two-time NFCA All-American in 2001 and 2002, and concluded her career as the program’s career leader in innings pitched (883.1), wins (91), saves (10), strikeouts (761), shutouts (46), and RBI (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 Pacific’s 35 year 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 ended, Cindy joined the Tigers coaching staff where she spent four seasons in the dugout for Pacific from 2002-06.  After Pacific, she took over the reins at Modesto Junior College and at 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. 

Since 2012, Cindy has served as the assistant softball coach at Cal State Northridge, where she is the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.  Ball graduated from Pacific in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Science and then completed a master’s degree in Education at Pacific in 2005.

“My remarkable experience at Pacific made me the person I am today. I was truly blessed to share some of the best times of my life with my Tiger family”

Christopher "Kit" Follmer (1974-78)
Kit Follmer was a four-year starter for Pacific Men’s Water Polo from 1974 to 1978 as Pacific tallied 53 wins during his time on the squad. Follmer was named an All-American following the Tigers’ 11-win season in 1975. In addition, he was named to the Pacific Coast Athletic Association All-Tournament Team after guiding the Tigers to a third place finish in the 1975 PCAA Tournament, which was held at Chris Kjeldsen Pool on the Pacific campus.

Kit graduated from Pacific with a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1978. 

After his collegiate playing career ended, he went on to pursue his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Hawai’i and later became the CEO of Follmer Development, a manufacturing company. 

Since 2004, Follmer has remained an active member of the USA Water Polo community, competing at the Masters level. In 2006, Kit scored the winning goal in the bronze medal match of the World Masters Games, earning his first medal in international water polo competition. Follmer earned another All-American designation as one of the top players Over-50 in the country in 2009 and 2012.  

Follmer resides in Newbury Park, California with his wife Cathleen Hoffman Follmer, Class of 1979.  The couple has a son, Alec, and a daughter, Claire.  Alec is currently a member of the Pacific Men’s Water Polo team that reached the NCAA National Championship Game in 2013.  

“From my first visit in 1973 as a senior in high school, I loved the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. As an undergraduate student, the professors, coaches and administrators provided a wonderful environment in which to excel. I have many fond memories of my time at Pacific and the university provided a tremendous foundation on which to pursue my career in science and business.” 

Nick Holt (1983-86)
Nick Holt joins the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame after an illustrious career as a standout linebacker on the Pacific Football team in the 1980’s. 

Nick was a stalwart of the Tigers defense under head coach Bob Cope as a four-year letterwinner from 1981-85.  In 1983, he was awarded Pacific Football’s Tully C Knoles Ironman Award.  Holt was the team captain and MVP in 1984, compiling 135 tackles to lead the Orange and Black.  Holt was named team MVP and most outstanding defensive player in 1985; in addition to First Team All-PCAA and Honorable Mention All-American selections.

A 1986 Pacific graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy, Holt began his coaching career at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton.  His coaching career took him to UNLV (1987-1989), Idaho (1990-1997), Louisville (1998-2000) and Southern California (2001-2003), before he returned to Idaho as the head coach for the 2004 season.  Holt would later return to USC in 2006, as the Trojans compiled a 34-5 record during his three-year tenure as defensive coordinator.  

In 2009, Holt accepted a position as the defensive coordinator of the Washington Huskies and in 2012 was named the on-campus recruiting coordinator for the Arkansas Razorbacks.  In January of 2013, Nick was named the defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky University, the position he currently holds. 

In total, Holt has 27 years of collegiate coaching experience; including seven BCS bowl trips and an Associated Press National Championship with USC.  

Nick and his wife Julie have two sons, Nick Holt VI (21) and Ben Holt (17), and reside in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Holt’s maternal grandfather is Buster Crabbe, an All-American swimmer at USC who won a gold medal in swimming in the 1932 Olympics and then starred as Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.  Holt’s wife, Julie, is a former head women’s basketball coach at Pacific, Nevada, Idaho and Gonzaga.

“My five years at Pacific were special. I made friends and memories that will last a lifetime. I was blessed to be surrounded by great people. From the professors, administrators, and especially my coaches and classmates, they have all had a hand in making me who I am today”

Jane Romberg-Geiger (1980-85)
Jane Romberg-Geiger enters the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the women’s basketball program.  

Romberg-Geiger made an immediate impact in her freshman year at Pacific, earning second team All-Conference honors in the NorCal Conference as the leading scorer and rebounder for the Tigers. She averaged 15.9 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game as the Tigers went 20-7 overall in the 1980-81 campaign.

Following her freshman season, Romberg-Geiger earned an invitation to the National Sports Festival, a prestigious competition that served as a preliminary tryout to the United States Olympic team.

During her second season at Pacific, Jane suffered a knee injury in the seventh game of the season and was forced to sit out for the remainder of the 1981-82 season, using a medical redshirt year in the process. Romberg-Geiger recovered nicely and was a standout in her redshirt sophomore campaign during the 1982-83 season, earning second team honors in the NorPac Conference. 

During her junior season (1983-84), Jane averaged 11.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game. During her senior campaign in 1984-85, she was named to the All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association first team after averaging 13.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. 

Romberg-Geiger finished her career among the all-time leaders in Pacific basketball history, ranking first in blocked shots and second in points, free throws made and rebounds as well as among the top five in scoring average, field goals made, games started and assists. Today, Romberg-Geiger sits in the top five in Pacific history in free throw percentage, rebounding average and rebounds. 

Jane graduated from Pacific with a bachelor’s degree in Communication in 1984 before completing three teaching credentials from the Benerd School of Education. She currently resides in Cave Creek, Arizona with her husband Tony Geiger, Class of 1983.  The couple has two daughters, Ashley (26) and Samantha (24). Jane’s niece, Sage Romberg, is a senior on the Washington State Cougars women’s basketball team. 

“I learned so many important life skills at Pacific. It was an atmosphere of high expectations! Professors, coaches and teammates pushed you to be your best while making you feel they cared about you. It’s a family.”

2001 Softball Team
The 2001 Pacific Softball team earns induction into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in recognition of an outstanding season in which they became the first Pacific team to reach 50 wins.  The Tigers finished the season with a 50-13 overall mark, including a 16-5 record in Big West Conference play. 

The team had an impressive 25-2 record at Bill Simoni Field and set a new school record with 16 straight victories from Feb. 25 to March 31. Hallmark wins included triumphs over No. 22 Oregon, No. 11 Fresno State and No. 14 Oregon State. The 50 wins remains the best single season mark in program history. 

The 18th-ranked squad reached the finals of the NCAA Regionals in Palo Alto, Calif., going 3-2 in the double-elimination tournament with wins over Central Michigan, Nebraska and Stanford. The Tigers fell one win shy of qualifying for the program’s second-ever appearance in the Women’s College World Series. They beat Stanford by a score of 2-0 to force a winner-take-all rematch before falling to the Cardinal in the Regional Final.

Cindy Ball was named the 2001 Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year and was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Third Team selection following the season; Estee Okumura and Adrienne Ratajczak were named to the NFCA All-West Region squad while Brian Kolze was named the Big West Coach of the Year following the team’s record-setting season. Kolze and assistant coach Heather Tarr were named the 2001 NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year. In total, Pacific had seven players earn All-Big West honors: Barbara Moody joined Ball, Ratajczak and Okumara on the First Team while Jennifer Dacre, Kelly Lowry and Angele Alves were Second Team selections.