Hall of Fame
Batting over .500 in a single season is an accomplishment worthy of the highest praise, but to be able to break the .500 threshold in three straight seasons truly requires a Hall of Fame worthy effort. Utica College softball student-athlete Dena Frydman remains the only player in school-history to bat over .500 for a career and she currently holds the top three single season batting average records in the program’s history. It all began in the 1970’s, when she was the only girl to dominate the little league baseball scene, at a time when the sport was typically reserved for boys.
Frydman transferred to UC in her sophomore year and spearheaded a transformation in the softball program that lingers at Greenman Field to this very day. Probably the most impressive of her collegiate softball accomplishments was that she finished just 18 at-bats shy of joining five other players in the history of the NCAA DIII softball record book to register a career .500 batting average. The NCAA has set a minimum of 200 at-bats to be included on the all-time list and Frydman finished her career with 92 hits in 182 at-bats.
She batted a school-record .508 in 1997 and she also ranks second (.507 in 1995) and third (.500 in 1996). In 1995 Frydman ranked 22nd in the country with a batting average of .507.
The former Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association All-Star also holds the school’s top three marks for on base % set in 1997 (.532), 1996 (.526) and 1995 (.526). She is also the school’s single season record holder for slugging % (.800 in 1996). In 63 career games played she totaled 14 doubles, six home runs and five triples while striking out just six times. Softball aficionados are well aware that in the mid-90’s most fields did not have home run fences, and if Frydman played in the current era, her home run count would likely have been astronomical.
Frydman, under the guidance of Head Coach Dave Fontaine and fellow PioneerHall of Fame inductee Bobbie McMail Simon, helped lead the Pioneers to a then program-best 20 wins in ‘96, which was tied for 15th in the country. Utica’s winning % of 0.741 in 1996 ranked 25th in the nation. In 1996 the Pioneers enjoyed a program-best 11 game win streak and a No. 11 ranking in Upstate New York. She led the Pioneers to their first post-season bid in school-history as they earned a spot in the New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology.
Following graduation from UC in 1998 with a degree in Occupational Therapy, she landed a position in her field of choice in the brain injury division at St. Mary’s Hospital. She then moved on to school-based occupational therapy for four years before continuing on to in-patient rehabilitation. For the last eight years she has worked for Lifetime Home Healthcare, a division of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, where she is an in-home occupational therapist.
Originally from Fairport, NY, she was a three-sport standout at Fairport High School where she played on the soccer, basketball and softball teams. She currently resides in Irondequoit, NY and will enjoy the Hall of Fame celebration with her closest family, friends and the entire Utica College softball community.
