Oxford's Fico Chosen No. 1 in Pro Softball Draft

Oxford native and Div. 1 college all-American pitcher Rachele Fico was recently selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Akron Racers in the 2013 National Pro Fastpitch College Senior Draft presented by BOWNET Monday at the Ford Theatre located inside the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

It marks the second straight year that Louisiana State University has had the league’s No. 1 pick as former All-American hurler Brittany Mack was the No. 1 pick by the USSSA Florida Pride during 2012 NPF Draft. 

“I’m really thankful and excited to be welcomed into the Akron Racers family,” Fico said. “It’s a huge honor, and I feel incredibly blessed. I was so thrilled to see my name come up on the screen as the No. 1 pick. I’m going to continue to work hard to do whatever I can to make a contribution to the team and to help the NPF grow as a league.”

Fico, a USA Softball Top 25 Player of the Year and Senior Class Award Top 10 finalist, notched a 24-13 mark. She picked up 14 of her 24 victories over RPI Top 35 opponents and twirled 10 shutouts to rank tied for 10th nationally. The right-hander racked up 232 strikeouts, second-most in the SEC.

During conference play, Fico was one of two pitchers to rank among SEC’s Top 4 in wins (11), ERA (2.27), Ks (94) & opponent average (.198) in league games. She tied the SEC’s single-game record held by Monica Abbott with 22 strikeouts at Mississippi State and garnered the NFCA’s National Player of the Week award on April 30 after two wins during LSU’s sweep of Alabama.

“Rachele has left her mark on our program in so many ways,” LSU Coach Beth Torina said. “It is a great honor for her to be recognized for what she has done athletically throughout her final year at LSU. There’s no doubt that she is one of the nation’s best. While she is honored for being such a great student-athlete, she also will be remembered by our team as someone we are proud to call an LSU Tiger. She has represented our program with tremendous character, heart and tireless effort.” 

The Masuk High School graduate set all sorts of state pitching records in Connecticut. 

The Akron Racers opened the 2013 season against the Chicago Bandits last week. National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.

Editor's Note: This press release was written by the sports information department at Louisiana State Univeristy and posted here by Paul Singley.