San Jose Sting

Just about everyone at the Stazio Fields for the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Softball Tournament this week knows who Monica Abbott is.

Just in case, a life-size cardboard cutout of the 6-foot-3 fireballer greets all who enter the complex.

U.S. Olympic team member. Former University of Tennessee star. One of the best pitchers on the planet.

So it's not exactly easy to make a name for yourself in the softball world when you simply know Monica as big sis.

But Bina Abbott has been doing her best in Boulder to grab attention with her own ability.

The power-hitting first baseman and her bat have helped lead the San Jose Sting to a 3-1 mark so far in pool play in the team's first-ever appearance in the Slugger.

"It is tough (making her own name) but I've gotten used to it because everyone just knows," Bina said of Monica, who was the NCAA player of the year in 2007 after guiding Tennessee to a national runner-up finish and rewriting the college recordbooks. "So I just try not to let that bother me."

Bina admits she used to feel more pressure to live up to her sister's success than she does now. It's not uncommon at tournaments, Sting coach Bob Perales said, for fans or players on other teams to start to buzz when they hear that Monica Abbott's sister is playing.

"But then it's kind of different because she's a pitcher and I don't pitch," Bina said.

Bina, who will be a high school senior in the fall, went 3-for-6 as the Sting split a pair of games on Thursday. That included a 2-for-3 effort with a solo home run in a 13-2 trouncing of the Massachussetts Polar Crush.

While her services aren't as highly coveted by recruiters as her sister's were, Perales said Bina has certainly raised her stock this week with her play.

College coaches aren't allowed to speak directly with high school seniors-to-be until their teams are eliminated this weekend. But Sting coaches said they've been hearing interest from coaches from the Ivy League to the WAC to the Big Ten.

"I think she's done a great job at being herself and it shows," Perales said. "Rarely do you hear the name Monica Abbott in our dugout. We've got Stephanie and Keilani Ricketts, and their sister Sam Ricketts at Oklahoma was a player of the year finalist (in 2008). So everybody has their own identity and we try to keep it that way."

Summer is a busy -- not to mention pricey -- time of year for Bina's parents, Bruce and Julie, as they try to keep up with their daughters' exploits around the globe.

In addition to Monica's work with the national team and Bina's travels with the Sting, Bina's twin sister Gina is a prospective college volleyball player who had a tournament in Reno, Nev., this week.

Part of the Abbott family will be heading to Beijing in August to watch Monica in the Olympics, but not Bina or Gina. Bina will be at ASA Gold Nationals with the Sting, while Gina also has her own club exploits going on.

"I'll be rooting for her," Bina said.

But for Bina, doing her own thing is all part of accomplishing her goals in softball for reasons other than just having a famous sister.

"When I talk to (college) coaches, I don't really tell them, 'Oh my sister's Monica Abbott,' " Bina said. "I'm glad she's my sister. But I don't want that to go for me or against me, because I want to do it by myself and get there."