Biography
2014
Top-25 finalist for 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player-of-the-Year award…Named to NFCA all-South Region second team…First-team all-Sun Belt Conference at-large selection…Led NCAA in ERA or three weeks and topped country in hits allowed per 7 innings for two periods…Finished fifth in NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings (3.40), sixth in ERA (1.23) and ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (9.5)…Three-time SBC Pitcher of the Week…Led SBC in opposing batting average (.141), strikeouts (224), hits allowed (80), runs allowed (40) and doubles allowed (9), while ranking among top four in ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts looking, wins and fewest earned runs, walks, triples and home runs allowed…Held opposing batters to second-lowest average in a season in program history...Recorded second-best strikeouts-per-seven-innings ratio in school history...Win and shutout totals were third-most in a single season for a USA pitcher...Earned wins over No. 17 Georgia, No. 21 UAB and Mississippi State…Recorded career-high 16 strikeouts versus SIU-Edwardsville in elimination game at NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, second most in USA game history…Recorded second career no-hitter vs. UT-San Antonio on March 1, while recording third-most strikeouts, 15, in USA game history …Struck out 13 batters versus Louisiana-Monroe in first round of SBC Tournament
2013
Voted to NFCA All-South Region Second Team...Second-team all-SBC...Voted Co-Most Valuable Pitcher of the Samford Invitational...Recorded a perfect 23-0 record on the year, the second-most wins in USA single-season history...Recorded a 1.61 ERA in 28 appearances and 24 starts...Allowed only 34 runs and 67 hits in 143 1/3 total innings pitched...Threw eight total shutouts, the school’s second most in a single season...Batters had a .138 average against her, the lowest in USA single-season history...Recorded an average of 9.82 strikeouts per game, a USA single-season record ratio...Set a school single-season record in combined shutouts with five...Struck out 201 batters on the year, 43 looking...Posted first career no-hitter against Troy...Recorded six double-digit strikeout games...Tied then-career-high in strikeouts with 14 against Florida State to send USA to 2013 Mobile Regional Championship game...Named SBC Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 at Mississippi State’s Bulldog Kickoff Classic...Ended the season on a shutout streak of 33 1/3 innings
2012
Led the team in win-loss percentage (.778) after tallying a 7-2 record in the circle with a 0.97 earned run average…Made 13 appearances with nine starts and recorded three solo shutouts...Struck out 77 batters in 58 innings of work while allowing only 33 hits and eight earned runs...Had an opposing batting average of .161...Threw a then-career-high 14 strikeouts in seven innings against Mercer (4/25)...Also threw double-digit strikeouts against Southeastern Louisiana (10 on 3/7) and Southern Miss (12 on 4/14)...Tossed a one-hitter in her first collegiate appearance vs. Southeastern Louisiana (3/7)
High School
Played softball for Fairhope High School in Fairhope, Ala...Led the Pirates to an Area 3 tournament championship, the runner-up spot in the 6A regional tournament and third place in the Alabama State Tournament in 2011…Recorded 1,461 strikeouts in her high school career…Held a career ERA of 0.78…Threw 23 no-hitters over four years…Named the 2011 Mobile Press-Register Player of the Year...A four-time 6A honorable mention all-state selection, Mobile Press-Register Super 12 honoree, and a first-team all-county selection…Highlight of her high school career was pitching 28 innings in the state tournament without giving up an earned run…Played four years for the Mobile Generation X Thrillers…Placed 15th in Amateur Softball Association (ASA) National Championship
Personal
Full name is Farish Elizabeth Beard…Born Aug. 4, 1993, in Fairhope, Ala…Daughter of Anthony Beard and Suzette Drinkard…Has one younger sister, Victoria, and one younger brother, Dalton…Hobbies include boating and going to the beach…Favorite movies are “The Hangover” and “The Notebook”...Favorite pro sports teams are the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees...Favorite musical artist is Blake Shelton..Favorite food is french fries
