Overview:
The only catcher on the roster with Division I playing experiece, she is expected to split time behind the plate with freshman Jacqueline Vitale ... Ranks among Bradley’s career top 10 in doubles (26), home runs (8) and RBI (64) ... Needs seven doubles to move into third in school history and her eight home runs is tied for seventh all-time.
2005 Season (Junior): One of three players to appear in all 51 games, she appeared in the starting lineup 47 times, including 32 starts at catcher ... Led the team with 27 runs batted in and nine multiple-RBI games ... Was second among the starters with a .292 batting average and was second on the team with 10 home runs ... Hit a team-best .386 with runners in scoring position, going 17-for-44 ... Ranked third on the team with four home runs and a .453 slugging percentage ... Went 4-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored in Bradley’s 11-3 victory against Central Florida ... Hit safely in 10 of 11 games in the later stages of the season, batting .419 with four doubles, six RBI and three runs scored during that stretch ... Boasted nine multi-hit games on the season ... Was second on the team with a .986 fielding percentage.
2004 Season (Sophomore): Started 27 of the 43 games she appeared in with all coming at catcher ... Ranked sixth on the team among players with 25 or more starts with a .273 batting average ... Split time behind the plate with Cassandra Samson ... Her .386 slugging percentage was fourth among the regulars in the lineup and her .400 on base percentage was also fourth on the team ... Was second on the team with five multi-RBI outings ... Ranked second on the team with a .994 fielding percentage ... Ended the season on a hot streak, hitting .429 (12-for-28) over her final 15 games of the season ... Went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Loyola.
2003 Season (Freshman): Had a stellar campaign, leading the team in doubles (9), home runs (3), extra-base hits (13), RBI (25) and walks (14) ... Started 48 of the 50 games she appeared in, while ranking second on the team in slugging percentage at .396 ... Hit .271 in conference play ... Owned eight multi-hit games and drove in two or more runs five times ... Had a team-best eight game hit streak and collected hits in 16 of the first 22 games of her career ... Was 9-for-22 (.409) with five RBI and four doubles during her eight-game hit streak ... Went 3-for-7 with one double, two home runs and eight RBI in a doubleheader with Manhattan College.
High School: A four-time all-conference and all-metro selection, she earned Quad Cities Metro Player of the Year honors as both a junior and senior ... Earned third-team all-state honors as a sophomore and was named second-team all-state as both a junior and senior ... Team captain and MVP her senior season, she hit .464 ... Helped the Maple Leafs to three consecutive conference and regional championships ... Also helped team to two sectional titles, including the Elite Eight in 2001 ... Earned four letters in volleyball, where she earned honorable mention all-conference honors ... High school and summer coaches were her father Bob Pettit and Steve Eckert ... Played for the Illinois Xtreme.
Personal: The daughter of Bob and Ginny Pettit, Joanna was born Oct. 4, 1983 in Geneseo, Ill. ... Her father Bob is the head softball coach at Geneseo High School, where he coached Joanna, current sophomore Molly Bergeson and freshman Emily Bergeson ... Majoring in marketing ... One of six children, Joanna has four sisters, Glenda Thomas, Anita Westcott, Casey Elder and Suzie, and one brother, Jason ... Earned a spot on the Bradley Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in six of her first seven semesters at Bradley.
