April 30, 2009 - It's a feat so rare that there's only been one occurrence at the Major League Baseball level.

A handful of players can lay claim to two grand slams in one game including Robin Ventura, Frank Robinson and Nomar Garciaparra, but on April 29, 1999, the St. Louis Cardinals' Fernando Tatis unloaded two grand slams in a single inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers -- the only time in MLB history.

"I can't believe it happened," Tatis was quoted as saying. "I didn't expect to hit another one. I've never been a home run hitter."

I drew a similar reaction from Ashford University's soft-spoken senior outfielder Jamie Gillespie when she became the first player in NAIA softball history to hit two grand slams in one inning on April 13 against Viterbo University.

According to the NAIA Softball Media Guide, there are two players who have hit two grand slams in one game (Lakyn Newton (Shorter (Ga.)), Cat Calvert (Oklahoma City). She also tied Newton's single-game RBI record, driving in 10 runs in Ashford's first win of the season to snap a 29-game season slide. Her effort resulted in dual honors for Player of the Week at the conference and national level.

Now the media guide needs a new category for Gillespie after her amazing single-game feat.

Considering she entered the Viterbo series with one run batted in on the year, not even the best oddsmakers in Vegas could have predicted her 17-RBI outburst in a four-game series against the V-Hawks that included five total home runs.

Gillespie is still reeling in shock from her once-in-a-lifetime performance, making sure to note that she's a natural slap-hitter from the left side of the plate first and a power hitter second.

Both slams came on 2-0 pitches, the ideal hitter's count. Both slams came on the right side of the plate.

"I just stared at it and wondered, ‘What just happened?'", said Gillespie, a Davenport native. "I kind of forgot I needed to run. After the second one, I was worried I wouldn't see another pitch in the game."

Gillespie's totals for game one of the doubleheader -- four hits, four runs, 10 runs batted in and two grand slams -- not bad for a day's work.

It might be a surprise to observers that the switch-hitting Gillespie has been playing half the season with a stress fracture on the top of her left foot. She says it's painful to play and suits up in a protective boot after games, but a warrior lies beneath her black sunglasses when she patrols center field.

"I'm really stubborn," Gillespie said with a smug grin. "I don't complain. I'll just say I'm fine out there. I'm just praying that I don't have to have surgery when I go to the doctor."

She will diagnose herself as accident prone, counting six injuries that she's recovered from including a non-softball related injury as a result of Thanksgiving Day wrestling with her siblings.

"I think I've been injured every other year since high school (at Davenport Assumption)," Gillespie said. "Last year it was a shoulder, but I'll break a bone here and sprain an ankle there."

As the lone senior on the Saints' roster that features 11 freshmen, Gillespie takes on an unusual role as Ashford's young team builds a future foundation. She shied away from the thought of being a captain in her final year, not comfortable about being in the spotlight.

"It's really hard knowing it's my senior year," Gillespie said. "I know that they'll be 10 times better next year. (Head) Coach (Kyle) Yore is bringing in good recruits and I'm sad because I wish I could be around to be a part of it. I'm just an introverted player. I keep to myself and don't like to receive any attention."

She'd like to keep softball in her future and is pursuing an opportunity to land on a 23-and-under Amateur Softball Association of America team (ASA).

"It's always been a dream of mine to play professionally," Gillespie said. "Hopefully, my dream will come true."