Community college softball: Braatz-Voisard to be honored

Kim Braatz-Voisard, a former star of Estancia High, will be

inducted into the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame at the

Commission on Athletics Convention in Reno, Nev., March 21.

Braatz-Voisard, formerly Kim Braatz, grew up in Costa Mesa. She was a

standout player for the Eagles then went on to Saddleback College before

transferring to the University of New Mexico, where she earned

All-America honors.

She continued her career professionally in northern Italy and competed

in the World Cup in Nice, France.

In 1994, Braatz-Voisard accepted an offer to play professional

baseball with the fledgling Colorado Silver Bullets, the only women’s

professional baseball team to play against professional men’s teams.

In 1996, she became the first female to hit an out-of-the-park home

run against an All-Star team in Cape Cod, Mass. She finished that

historic season as one of the team’s biggest contributors. She was second

on the team in eight offensive categories, including batting, doubles and

slugging percentage.

She currently lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and helps out her husband,

Mark, a former Rockies pitcher, at Samford University.

Mark and Kim have two children, Madison Lee and Franklin.