MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama softball coach Becky Clark has hired former LSU pitcher Rachele Fico as an assistant coach.
Fico replaces Mark Ryal, who left to take a similar position at Oklahoma State.
Finishing the Pro Season First
Fico will complete the 2014 season with the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch before beginning her full-time duties at South Alabama. The position will be her first full-time coaching job. She has pitched for the Racers for two seasons after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2013 NPF Draft.
Fico, a native of Oxford, Conn., leads the NPF in wins this season with a 7-5 record. She has a 4.14 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings.
Joining a Top Pitching Staff
South Alabama led the NCAA in team ERA last season at 1.29. Hannah Campbell’s 0.95 ERA ranked third nationally, and Farish Beard’s 1.23 ERA ranked sixth.
Campbell was selected third overall in the 2014 NPF Draft in May and joined Fico in Akron. Beard will be a senior in 2015.
Decorated LSU Career
At LSU, Fico was a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-American (2012, 2013), a three-time NFCA All-South Region first-team selection (2010, 2012, 2013) and a three-time All-Southeastern Conference honoree (2010, 2012, 2013). She was twice a top-25 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
As a freshman in 2010, she was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and earned spots on the All-SEC Freshman and All-SEC Defensive teams.
In 2011, she helped lead LSU to the NCAA College Station Regional, where the Tigers were eliminated by Syracuse. Fico was named to the all-regional team after striking out 18 Syracuse batters, tied for the second-highest single-game total in LSU history.
Postseason Experience
Fico helped lead LSU to the 2012 Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. She was the unanimous Most Valuable Player of the NCAA College Station Regional after back-to-back shutouts of Texas State and No. 8 national seed Texas A&M, then earned both wins over No. 9 national seed Missouri at the Columbia Super Regional.
She finished her LSU career among the program’s top five in appearances (149), starts (104), complete games (82), innings pitched (774), wins (78), saves (8), opponent batting average (.195), shutouts (32), strikeouts (797) and strikeouts per seven innings (7.21).
