Over the next few weeks, GoColumbiaLions.com will take a look at the teams, student-athletes, coaches and staff members set to be inducted in the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame this October. Our next installment features a former softball player who played a vital role in the program's first varsity seasons.

Allison Buehler '03CC

Allison Buehler established herself as the first great pitcher in Columbia softball history. She came to Columbia for the program's inaugural campaign in 1999-2000, and went on to become a two-time All-Ivy League and two-time Regional All-America selection. To this day, she holds numerous school records, including career ERA (1.90) and single-season shutouts (9), wins (16), strikeouts (181) and ERA (0.78). Her name can also be found among the top-five record holders in nearly every single-season and career pitching category, as well as the top 20 in Ivy League history.

Buehler established herself as a standout at Central High School near her hometown of Monmouth, Oregon, a first-team Class 3A all-state pitcher who finished her career with a 67-8 record, 0.62 ERA and 583 strikeouts. It included a 22-2 mark as a senior and 260 strikeouts in 156 innings pitched.

Those numbers don't always translate to the college game, but for Buehler, they were a sign of what was to come.

Columbia's first varsity softball game took place March 7, 2000. It was Buehler who got the start, and she picked up right where she left off as a senior at Central High School, limiting Lehigh to four hits in a 2-1 Columbia victory. Less than one month later, she struck out seven in a one-hitter to defeat Dartmouth, and on April 6, posted the Lions' first shutout, a 9-0 four-hitter over La Salle. She went on to start 27 of team's 43 games that year, posting a 2.98 ERA and striking out 103.

Buehler's first season would prove to only be a glimpse into how talented she was. Her tireless work ethic in the off-season leading up to her sophomore year yielded immediate dividends, as she was named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week for the first time on March 20, 2001, Columbia's first week competing as part of the Ivy League.

She went on to have a dazzling sophomore season, establishing herself not only as one of the best pitchers in the Ivy League, but as one of the top hurlers in the nation. Buehler's final tallies from the 2001 campaign included a 16-8 record in 44 appearances, 181 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 170 innings pitched, as well a 0.78 ERA, the 15th-best ERA in the country. Among the few better was future Team USA Olympian Jennie Finch, who led the nation for Arizona with a 0.25 ERA. Nine of Buehler's 16 victories came via the shutout, and she reached double figures in strikeouts four times, including a record-high 13 on March 25 against Lafayette. Buehler's four straight victories to close out the year propelled Columbia to its first ECAC Championships, and the Oregon native was bestowed with Regional All-America honors.

The 2001 campaign would be the best of Buehler's career, but she still put up incredible numbers in her 2002 junior season. The co-captain earned Regional All-America and All-Ivy League honors for the second consecutive year, this time posting a 1.26 ERA in 28 starts with 115 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 182.2 innings pitched. She helped Columbia to the ECAC Championships for a second consecutive season and allowed just five hits in a 4-2 victory at Harvard to force a final game. Buehler's junior year was also highlighted by a complete-game, one-hitter in a 4-1 victory over Fordham, in which she took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. She also used the bat to hit a game-winning home run over Central Florida.

Buehler added 95 strikeouts as a senior to finish her career with 494 in 610.1 innings pitched. Her career 1.90 ERA remains the benchmark at Columbia, while her 84 starts, 81 complete games, 14 shutouts, 44 wins and 494 strikeouts all rank second. Buehler's strikeout total also ranks 10th in Ivy League history, while her 0.78 ERA from 2001 is the eighth-lowest among any pitcher from the Ancient Eight. She also holds Columbia's top two spots in single-season ERA from those 2001 and 2002 campaigns.