Hall of Fame
Jessica Beech
- Induction:
- 2024
- Class:
- 2004
Jessica (Beech) Bograkos
Softball 2001-04
Okemos, Mich.
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024
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HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2024
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 of strikeouts (264), shutouts (13), appearances (53), innings pitched (283.1) and wins (29). Her first of four career no-hitters, Bograkos shut down East Carolina in a 1-0 MSU victory on February 14, 2003. The following year, Bograkos matched Gloria Becksford's record of three no-hitters in the same season, tossing one against UC Santa Barbara on March 5 and two 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, Bograkos tossed three spotless innings while striking out four Mastodon batters.
On May 8, 2003, Bograkos set the program single-game strikeout record (16) against Northwestern. In doing so Bograkos broke her own record of 15 set against Virginia on February 28, 2003. Only one player in program history has more games of 12 or more strikeouts, with Bograkos posting four in her career.
Also talented at the plate, Bograkos ranks third in single-season runs scored (51), seventh in single-season hits (71) and seventh in single-season doubles (15). Her 42 career stolen bases rank sixth all-time. During her senior season, Bograkos hit .345 overall and a team-best .406 in Big Ten action over 20 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 was a mentor for Bograkos during her years on the team and remains one to this day.
"I give Jacquie a lot of credit for how Michigan State helped shape me today," Bograkos said. "She was much more than a coach of softball for me. She took it very seriously to raise young women who were accountable and good teammates. She taught us how to be successful young women, mothers and friends. She cared about her athletes as more than just athletes."
A four-time team letterwinner, the personal accolades started to pour in for Bograkos during her junior campaign. At the time, Bograkos was just the second Spartan softball player ever to earn multiple Big Ten Player of the Week honors in the same season, picking up Pitcher of the Week nods on February 19 and April 1, 2003. Bograkos was named Second Team All-B1G and picked up an All-B1G Tournament team nod. On the national level Bograkos was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Great Lakes region first teamer and a Third Team NFCA All-American. Bograkos went 27-11 with a 1.25 earned run average as a junior alongside 30 complete games and 13 shutouts for a 40-19 MSU squad. Opposing batters hit just .197 against her.
Bograkos continued to roll as a senior, leading an underdog Spartan team to a 2004 B1G Tournament Championship. Behind Bograkos' three consecutive complete games, Michigan State knocked off No. 6-ranked Michigan, Northwestern and Illinois en route to the tournament title to advance to an NCAA Regional for the second consecutive season. Following a senior season that saw Bograkos post 29 victories in the circle and a conference leading .406 batting average, she was named First Team All-B1G, First Team All-Region and was a Second Team NFCA All-American, becoming the second two-time All-American in program history (Deanne Moore – 1983, 84).
Bringing home the 2004 B1G Tournament championship as the No. 8 seed is one of Bograkos' career highlights, along with defeating Michigan five out of six times from 2003-04. Bograkos was the winning pitcher in each of the five wins, the lone loss coming in a nine-inning complete game effort.
"We came in as a low seed and proved a lot of people wrong," said Bograkos. "I was not at my best in the championship game against Illinois, but my teammates kept me afloat on the mound with several home runs. Michigan had just defeated us in extra-innings a few weeks prior so taking them down in the first round was a big momentum boost for us that weekend and helped spark our run."
In the classroom, Bograkos was a three-time Academic All-B1G honoree and was named Second Team Academic All-District in 2003 before graduating with a degree in psychology in 2004.
Following the conclusion of her playing career, Bograkos served the Spartans as an assistant coach from 2007 to 2016 and later assisted the program in an operations role following the birth of her two children, Olivia and Tyler.
"It was always a dream of mine as a young girl to play at Michigan State, so to also have a 10-year coaching career there was really special to me," said Bograkos.
Bograkos was enshrined in the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Softball 2001-04
Okemos, Mich.
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024
Â
HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2024
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 of strikeouts (264), shutouts (13), appearances (53), innings pitched (283.1) and wins (29). Her first of four career no-hitters, Bograkos shut down East Carolina in a 1-0 MSU victory on February 14, 2003. The following year, Bograkos matched Gloria Becksford's record of three no-hitters in the same season, tossing one against UC Santa Barbara on March 5 and two 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, Bograkos tossed three spotless innings while striking out four Mastodon batters.
On May 8, 2003, Bograkos set the program single-game strikeout record (16) against Northwestern. In doing so Bograkos broke her own record of 15 set against Virginia on February 28, 2003. Only one player in program history has more games of 12 or more strikeouts, with Bograkos posting four in her career.
Also talented at the plate, Bograkos ranks third in single-season runs scored (51), seventh in single-season hits (71) and seventh in single-season doubles (15). Her 42 career stolen bases rank sixth all-time. During her senior season, Bograkos hit .345 overall and a team-best .406 in Big Ten action over 20 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 was a mentor for Bograkos during her years on the team and remains one to this day.
"I give Jacquie a lot of credit for how Michigan State helped shape me today," Bograkos said. "She was much more than a coach of softball for me. She took it very seriously to raise young women who were accountable and good teammates. She taught us how to be successful young women, mothers and friends. She cared about her athletes as more than just athletes."
A four-time team letterwinner, the personal accolades started to pour in for Bograkos during her junior campaign. At the time, Bograkos was just the second Spartan softball player ever to earn multiple Big Ten Player of the Week honors in the same season, picking up Pitcher of the Week nods on February 19 and April 1, 2003. Bograkos was named Second Team All-B1G and picked up an All-B1G Tournament team nod. On the national level Bograkos was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Great Lakes region first teamer and a Third Team NFCA All-American. Bograkos went 27-11 with a 1.25 earned run average as a junior alongside 30 complete games and 13 shutouts for a 40-19 MSU squad. Opposing batters hit just .197 against her.
Bograkos continued to roll as a senior, leading an underdog Spartan team to a 2004 B1G Tournament Championship. Behind Bograkos' three consecutive complete games, Michigan State knocked off No. 6-ranked Michigan, Northwestern and Illinois en route to the tournament title to advance to an NCAA Regional for the second consecutive season. Following a senior season that saw Bograkos post 29 victories in the circle and a conference leading .406 batting average, she was named First Team All-B1G, First Team All-Region and was a Second Team NFCA All-American, becoming the second two-time All-American in program history (Deanne Moore – 1983, 84).
Bringing home the 2004 B1G Tournament championship as the No. 8 seed is one of Bograkos' career highlights, along with defeating Michigan five out of six times from 2003-04. Bograkos was the winning pitcher in each of the five wins, the lone loss coming in a nine-inning complete game effort.
"We came in as a low seed and proved a lot of people wrong," said Bograkos. "I was not at my best in the championship game against Illinois, but my teammates kept me afloat on the mound with several home runs. Michigan had just defeated us in extra-innings a few weeks prior so taking them down in the first round was a big momentum boost for us that weekend and helped spark our run."
In the classroom, Bograkos was a three-time Academic All-B1G honoree and was named Second Team Academic All-District in 2003 before graduating with a degree in psychology in 2004.
Following the conclusion of her playing career, Bograkos served the Spartans as an assistant coach from 2007 to 2016 and later assisted the program in an operations role following the birth of her two children, Olivia and Tyler.
"It was always a dream of mine as a young girl to play at Michigan State, so to also have a 10-year coaching career there was really special to me," said Bograkos.
Bograkos was enshrined in the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
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