Leigh Anne Furgerson grew up in Carmel, Indiana, and attended Westfield High School, where she was a pitcher on the softball team and set school records for career earned run average, strikeouts, and innings pitched.

Furgerson entered Lake Forest College in the fall of 2000 and went on to become one of the most successful pitchers in Forester softball history. After going 24-13 with a 1.58 earned run average during her first two seasons combined, she posted a career-best 1.16 ERA as a junior. She then tossed a no-hitter and recorded career-highs with 15 victories, five shutouts, and 83 strikeouts her senior year. Furgerson finished as the program’s career leader with 51 victories, 56 complete games, and 489.2 innings pitched and also ranked second in team annals with a 1.42 career ERA, 13 shutouts, and 256 strikeouts. At the time of her induction, she still owned 23 single-season marks in a combined eight statistical categories that ranked among the top 10 in program history. Furgerson, a two-year team captain, was named All-Midwest Conference South Division following her freshman, junior, and senior seasons and the MWC South Co-Player of the Year as well as the Foresters’ Most Valuable Player as a senior. She also earned All-Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association three times. Furgerson helped lead the Foresters to three conference championships and, as a sophomore, to the NCAA Division III national championship game. She was one of two pitchers on the team to earn 2002 NCAA National All-Tournament Team honors and was also named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team in 2003. Lake Forest was 105-55-1 overall and 39-12-1 in conference play during her four seasons.

Also successful in the classroom, Furgerson earned Academic All-MWC honors three times and was named Academic All-District® by the College Sports Information Directors of America in 2004. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and chosen to be a member of the College’s Senior 25. She also served on the Senior Steering Committee and as vice president of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society and the Student Alumni Association. She received the Fredericka L. Stahl Award for Excellence in Science and graduated from Lake Forest with a degree in chemistry and biology.

Furgerson went on to earn a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began a career as a chemist. In 2013, Forbes included her in their prestigious “30 Under 30” list in science.