Liz Vrabel Knoblauch (2017) - Hall of Fame - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Liz Vrabel Knoblauch

Induction:
2017
Class:
2006

Liz (Vrabel) Knoblauch, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa. and a 2006 Bowling Green graduate, finished her softball pitching career at BGSU as the program's career leader in wins, strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings, shutouts and appearances. She still holds nearly all of those records.

Her 768 strikeouts is over 200 more than any other player in school history and her 7.12 strikeouts per seven innings also remains a program record. With 67 career wins and 29 career shutouts, Knoblauch remains at the top of the program leaderboard in four significant pitching categories.

During her tenure at BGSU, the Falcons won 126 games, the most wins in a four-year span in program history. Knoblauch was a first-team All-MAC performer in 2005 and was named second-team All-MAC in 2003, 2004 and 2006. As a junior, she was MAC Pitcher of the Year, as well as an All-Great Lakes Region selection. During that stellar junior season, Knoblauch went 17-14, leading the MAC with a 1.75 ERA and 237 strikeouts.

Knoblauch posted four of the top five single-season strikeout totals in program history, including the record of 237. She also ranks second in school history in appearances, innings pitched and complete games, as well as fifth in games started and seventh in winning percentage. She became the first Falcon to be named to the MAC All-Tournament Team on two occasions. In MAC Tournament games, Knoblauch posted a career record of 6-3 with a 0.47 ERA, allowing only four earned runs in 59 career innings. She was laughably unhittable over the final three years of her career at the MAC Tournament, going 5-1 with a 0.18 ERA.

As a team, BGSU won the MAC Tournament during her sophomore season in 2004 and the Falcons tied the school record for wins during her senior season in 2006, going 37-23.

Knoblauch is married to Kyle, a former BGSU baseball pitcher, and lives in the northern suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisc. They have two children – Eden (6) and Henry (3). Knoblauch is a senior sales representative for Teva, and the couple owns and operates B.A.T.S. Sports Academy, an indoor baseball/softball facility dedicated to developing young student-athletes who have the dream of playing in college.