Javelina Hall of Fame
Maria Gutierrez, from Pearland, is one of the best softball pitchers in Lone Star Conference history. She was selected as one of the league’s top 75 athletes in the 75-year history of the conference in a listing released this summer. She was inducted into the Javelina Hall of Fame in 2007.
She joined the Javelinas in 1999 and as a freshman was one of the top performers in the conference. She was named the LSC Freshman of the Year.
Gutierrez named to the NCAA Division II All-South Central Region squad as a rookie and was the LSC pitcher of the year in 1999, 2000 and 2002.
She made the all-conference team in each of her four years in the pitching circle.
Gutierrez was named the LSC postseason tournament most valuable player in 2002 when she led the Javelinas to the conference championship. In the postseason meet, the Javelinas outscored their opponents, 24-0.
She was on the All-South Central Region tournament team in 2003.
After finishing her playing career, she was a coach for the Javelinas for two seasons.
The Javelinas had a 148-71 record in Gutierrez’s four seasons with the squad.
Gutierrez owns school single-game records for most strikeouts (17) and pitched a no-hitter against Central Oklahoma in 2002.
Her single-season records are most games pitched (44, 1999), most games started (44, 1999), most complete games (30, 2002), most innings pitched (257, 2002), best winning percentage (.784, 2002), most victories (29, 2002), most saves (6, 1999), lowest earned run average (1.08, 2001) and most shutouts (11, 2002).
And career records held by Gutierrez are games pitched (156), games started (134), complete games (91), innings pitched (893), winning percentage (.730), victories (91), saves (11), lowest earned run average (1.29), shutouts (26) and strikeouts (852).
She received a community service award in 2002 and served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years.
Gutierrez is currently teaches softball and serves as a substitute teacher in Pearland.
She is the mother of Abigail Jestine.
