For seven innings on Wednesday, New York sophomore Shannon Becker was the only player on defense for her high school’s softball team. The Mahopac High School student struck out all 21 batters she faced for the incredibly rare “perfect” perfect game. It’s believed that Becker’s performance was the first of its kind in New York high school softball history.
As you might expect, this kind of performance wasn’t exactly a flash in the pan. Becker has been a softball prodigy for quite some time now, attracting the attention of colleges since she was in the sixth grade, according to WCBS-TV. She’s backed up the hype put on her with some incredible numbers this season. Becker currently sits at 11-3 with a 0.28 ERA, and 229 strikeouts in 99 innings. Oh, and she’s hitting .419 from the plate. The only fault in her game, according to her dad, is that she might just be too dang humble.
“Sometimes I wish she would actually say she’s good because she is very humble. If you ask her, ‘Are you a good player?’ She’ll say, ‘I’m OK,’” Bob Becker told WCBS-TV.
Even more astounding is the fact that this was only two days removed from a one-hit game where she struck out 20 batters. As of Thursday, her consecutive strikeout streak was at 38, and if she keeps up her current pace, she’ll break the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s record for strikeouts in a season (411) set in 2006. Her team will have to make the Section 1 Class AA finals in order for that to happen. But it’ll be alright if she doesn’t because, as The Journal News points out, she could always try and do it again in her junior or senior year.