Lansing Sun

Spartan All-American Jessica (Beech) Bograkos is among the 2024 inductees of the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Bograkos joins Paul Terek (men's track & field), Anson Carter (ice hockey), Darqueze Dennard (football), Beth (Rohl) Saylors (women's track & field) and Laura (Kueny) Smith, along with the 1965-1966 football teams, who become the first teams inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Celebration will take place on Friday, Sept. 13. There will also be a special recognition of the 2024 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class during the Michigan State-Prairie View A&M football game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14.

The MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, located in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, opened on Oct. 1, 1999, and displays plaques of the 180 previous inductees. The charter class of 30 former Spartan student-athletes, coaches and administrators was inducted in 1992.

An elite two-way athlete, Jessica (Beech) Bograkos becomes the eighth Spartan softball player to be inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. Now 20 years removed from her graduation, Bograkos remains prominent in the Spartan record book with four career records, five single-season records and one single-game record.

"Whenever you get a call from the athletic director as an alum you never know what to expect," said Bograkos. "I certainly wasn't expecting him to tell me that I had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was a surreal moment and left me speechless. After I spoke with (Vice President and Director of Athletics) Alan (Haller) it sent me into a deep dive of reflection on my time as a student-athlete at Michigan State and how many people contributed to all of it. The amount of people that invested their time and effort into my teammates and me, I wish I could thank them all."

Bograkos is the all-time Spartan leader in career wins (72), shutouts (24), strikeouts (659) and no-hitters (4), while also leading in single-season marks for strikeouts (264), shutouts (13), appearances (53), innings pitched (283.1) and wins (29). Her first career no-hitter saw Bograkos shut down East Carolina in a 1-0 MSU victory on February 14, 2003. The following year, she matched Gloria Becksford's record by throwing three no-hitters in one season against UC Santa Barbara on March 5 and twice against Oakland on March 20 and April 14.

Alongside Becky Gray, Bograkos helped combine for the first recorded perfect game in program history against Purdue Fort Wayne on April 6, 2002. Pitching in relief, she tossed three spotless innings while striking out four Mastodon batters.

On May 8, 2003, Bograkos set the program single-game strikeout record with sixteen against Northwestern. In doing so she broke her own record set earlier that year against Virginia with fifteen strikeouts on February 28. Only one player in program history has more games with twelve or more strikeouts than Bograkos' four such games.

Also talented at bat, Bograkos ranks third in single-season runs scored with fifty-one; seventh in single-season hits with seventy-one; seventh in single-season doubles with fifteen; while her forty-two career stolen bases rank sixth all-time. During her senior season she hit .345 overall and .406 within Big Ten action over twenty games.

"I could not be happier for Jess and her family," said former Michigan State head softball coach Jacquie Joseph. "She elevated our program to new heights. Jess was an outstanding student who poured her heart and soul into the program. She epitomizes what it means to be a Spartan."

Joseph mentored Bograkos during her years on the team and continues to do so today.

"I give Jacquie a lot of credit for how Michigan State helped shape me today," said Bograkos." She was much more than a coach of softball for me; she took it very seriously to raise young women who were accountable good teammates; teaching us how to be successful young women mothers friends cared about athletes beyond sports."

A four-time team letterwinner personal accolades began pouring during junior campaign just second Spartan softball player ever earn multiple Big Ten Player Week honors same season picking up Pitcher Week nods February nineteen April one two thousand three named Second Team All-B1G picked up All-B1G Tournament team nod national level National Fastpitch Coaches Association NFCA All-Great Lakes region first teamer Third Team NFCA All-American went twenty-seven eleven earned run average junior alongside thirty complete games thirteen shutouts forty nineteen squad opposing batters hit just .197

Continued roll senior leading underdog Tournament Championship behind consecutive complete games knocked off No six-ranked Northwestern Illinois en route title advance NCAA Regional second consecutive season Following senior saw post twenty-nine victories circle conference-leading .406 batting average First Region Second NFCA All-American becoming second two-time American history Deanne Moore eighty-three eighty-four

Bringing home Tournament championship No eight seed highlights defeating five six times winning pitcher each lone loss nine-inning complete game effort

"We came low seed proved lot people wrong" said "not best championship game Illinois teammates kept afloat mound several home runs defeated extra-innings weeks prior taking down round big momentum boost weekend helped spark run"

In classroom three-time Academic honoree named Second Team Academic District graduated degree psychology conclusion playing served assistant coach later assisted operations role birth children Olivia Tyler

"It always dream mine young girl play also ten-year coaching career really special" said

Enshrined Greater Lansing Sports Hall Fame two thousand fourteen

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