Hall of Fame
SARA HATCHER CLAIR - Softball 1997-2000
The Flyer career record holder in ERA (1.44), strikeouts (435) and innings pitched (646.1), Sara Hatcher Clair is the first member of the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame to only have played softball at UD. Seven other multi-sport members of the Hall of Fame played softball during their time on the Hilltop.
She put the bar high early in her college career, being named team MVP, Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman. She broke five pitching records and batted .333 on the season. The next year, she was named First Team All-Atlantic 10, breaking four more pitching records.
A back injury during her junior season limited her to just six wins in 1999, but Hatcher Clair came back as a senior co-captain to be named the Atlantic 10's Pitcher of the Year as a senior in 2000. She won a school-record 24 games that season, leading Dayton to a school-record 35 wins. She led the A-10 in ERA (0.76), another Flyer record. During the conference tournament, she led UD to its best-ever third-place championship finish, allowing no earned runs in 13 innings pitched.
The left-hander from Bellefontaine, Ohio was the driving force behind UD's two top finishes in the Atlantic 10 regular season. The Flyers placed third in the Atlantic 10 regular season in 1998 and 2000.
Despite being limited severely during the 1999 season, her 54 career wins are second in school history. She had the devastating combination of power and control on the mound. Not only is she the Flyer career strikeout leader, she also is the Dayton record holder for the fewest walks per game (1.27). As a senior, she struck out 183 batters and walked just 18. No slouch at the bat, she is also in the top ten in six career offensive categories, including fourth in home runs (10) and fifth in RBI (62).
Sara lives in Durango, Colorado with her husband Joe. She is a financial planner with Ameriprise Financial.
