DALLAS, TX — How perfect is your perfect? For North Texas ace Hope Trautwein it’s facing 21 batters in seven innings and striking out every single one. She managed to find a balance between perfection and dominance with a pitching performance that is the first of its kind in Division I athletics. The University of North Texas went on to win 3-0 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff after Trautwein’s flawlessness in the circle.
“Perfection is something I strive for everyday,” said Trautwein. “Every pitcher dreams of doing this. It’s something I never thought I would do. But it’s kind of like grasping the unattainable, you know?”
Her 21 strikeouts made history and left her coaches stunned.
“We were aware that all the outs had been strike outs. But we weren’t aware that it had never been done and the magnitude to which it would lead to,” said UNT softball head coach Rodney DeLong.
The word spread fast around the country as Trautwein made appearances on ESPN, MLB Network, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Washington Post and so on. She was even honored by the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Mavericks.
“My coach said Mark Cuban just called and he wants to invite you out to a Mavericks game and I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Mark Cuban just called!’ I’ve watched him on Shark Tank,” Trautwein said.
The buzz surrounding her performance hasn’t stopped. The perfect game garnered so much attention for the game of softball.
“I think softball should be on everyone’s radar,” Trautwein said. “And I think anyone who comes and watches a game falls in love with it. The fact that this made national news from a random game on a Sunday is amazing.”
It’s also remarkable the mental strength it takes to step foot in the circle.
“I’m not allowed to take a pitch off mentally,” she said. “I can’t zone out for a pitch, otherwise it’s going to get hit over the fence. I think that is the most difficult part of it.”
It helps when she’s had years of experience practicing with her dad in the backyard.
“My dad used to take me in the backyard and say alright, hit me in the glove 30 times and you get to go back inside,” Trautwein said. “And that number would go up every week. It just gets addicting. It’s fun when you get good at it.”
Trautwein will burn her fifth year of eligibility next season. After her UNT career ends, she hopes to pitch as long as she can.
“Softball just got added to the Olympics. There’s a lot of buzz behind that. So yeah, I love playing. If I have the opportunity, I’m going to jump at it,” she said.
