July 11, 2012
SAN DIEGO -
2004 U.S. Olympic Softball Team Video
San Diego State softball assistant head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz and her 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Softball team will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame on Thursday in Chicago.
Once tabbed the "Real Dream Team" on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the 2004 gold medal team had a perfect 9-0 record with eight consecutive shutouts at the Athens Olympic Games. They outscored their opponents, 51-1, and didn't allow a run until the sixth inning of the gold medal game against Australia. Nuveman Deniz (then Nuveman) hit .313 (5-for-16) with two home runs and five RBIs over the nine contests, while owning a perfect fielding percentage in 46 chances at catcher.
Nuveman Deniz recently completed her fourth season on the Aztecs' coaching staff and second as an assistant head coach. Last year, SDSU won its first Mountain West championship since 2008 and advanced to its school-record fifth consecutive NCAA tournament en route to a 32-24 overall record. San Diego State set single-season program records in slugging percentage (.466), home runs (58), doubles (79), RBIs (237) and total bases (692).
Nuveman Deniz was a four-year standout at UCLA, finishing her career as the NCAA record holder in home runs (90), slugging percentage (.945) and intentional walks (81). In addition to being selected as a four-time first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American and three-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, Nuveman Deniz is the Bruins' all-time leader in games played (264), total bases (653) and on-base percentage (.600). She hit .446 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs during UCLA's national championship season in 1999, en route to being named to the all-Women's College World Series team. She also won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics and silver medal in 2008.
Nuveman Deniz and the 2004 Softball Team are joined by 10 individuals in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, including Gail Devers (women's track & field), Kristine Lilly (women's soccer), Gary Hall, Jr. (men's swimming), Lisa Fernandez (softball), Dan O'Brien (men's track & field) and Jenny Thompson (women's swimming).
The ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Roberts and Alex Flanagan, will air in a nationally televised broadcast on NBC Sports Network on Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. ET.