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Lacey Waldrop Joins Houston Softball Coaching Staff
7/17/2020 1:03:00 PM | Softball
Standout pitcher earned three All-America honors in storied career
HOUSTON – Former USA Softball National Player of the Year and three-time NFCA All-American Lacey Waldrop has joined the University of Houston Softball coaching staff, Head Coach Kristin Vesely announced Friday.
"Being able to bring in a coach with Lacey's caliber of knowledge and success is going to continue to move the needle for our program," Vesely said. "She has WCWS experience, she has years of pitching coach experience, and the work she has done this past year with video and technology in the private sector is nothing short of impressive. She is exactly what we were looking for with her value of culture, pitching philosophies and her passion. We are excited to have her with us and cannot wait to see where she takes the pitching staff."
Waldrop comes to Houston after working as a pitching coach for Softball Rebellion. She will serve as the Cougars' pitching coach. Aside from her Women's College World Series appearances as both a player and a coach, Waldrop's extensive resume has made her one of the most recognizable names in softball.
"I could not be more thankful for this opportunity," Waldrop said. "Coach Vesely has done a tremendous job creating a championship culture here, and I'm prepared to build upon that and help take our team to the next level.
"As soon as I spoke with the staff, I knew Houston was the perfect fit for me. We are all like-minded in our expectations for the team, and we hold ourselves to high standards in how we treat and build relationships. This program has a bright future ahead, and I'm so thankful to be a part of it."
Prior to moving into independent coaching, Waldrop served as an assistant coach for Duke from 2017-18, where she helped jumpstart the Blue Devils' inaugural season in 2018. In Duke's first year as a Division I program, Waldrop wasted no time making her pitching staff one of the best in the ACC, posting a 2.05 team ERA, which ranked second in the league and 21st nationally. The Blue Devils also held opponents to a .238 batting average, fifth best in the ACC.
Under her leadership, Waldrop mentored Peyton St. George who earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Behind a perfect 6-0, league record and a 1.40 ERA, St. George was one of three players to finish conference play with a sub-2.00 ERA. By end of the season, she found herself leading all freshmen pitchers with that mark, along with holding the opposition to a .193 clip.
Waldrop began her coaching career studying from arguably the best in the game in Patty Gasso, while serving as the graduate student manager at Oklahoma. In her lone season with the Sooners, Waldrop helped guide OU to a 61-9 record, resulting in the program's second straight Women's College World Series title.
In her four-year playing career at Florida State, Waldrop guided her team to three ACC championships, a pair of conference tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. She became the first player in program history to win back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year (2014-15) accolades and is one of only 13 players win multiple NFCA All-America honors with three.
Waldrop's 2014 campaign turned out to be one for the record books. She led FSU to its first WCWS appearance in 10 years and capped her season when she was named the USA Softball Player of the Year. It marked the second time a Seminole received the honor and established Florida State as the first school in the country with multiple winners of the award.
By the time her storied career was completed, Waldrop was ranked among Florida State's all-time leaders in wins (1st, 109), appearances (3rd, 170), strikeouts (3rd, 917), and saves (4th, 7). Off the field, Waldrop was selected to a pair of All-ACC Academic teams and was a recipient of the 2015 Lowe's Senior Class Award.
When her collegiate career came to an end, Waldrop was drafted by the Chicago Bandits with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch Draft. She led the Bandits to back-to-back Cowles Cup Championships from 2015-16.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
"I had the pleasure of working with Lacey in our Sooner program as a graduate assistant. She was a hard worker who connected very well with our athletes. Lacey is a tremendous competitor and I am confident she will be a great addition to the Houston staff. This is a really solid hire by Coach Vesely."
- Oklahoma Softball Coach Patty Gasso
"Lacey is going to be a wonderful addition to a very driven Houston staff. Not only was she an incredible player while at Florida State, she was a tremendous person. Lacey loves the game of softball, and I know she will thrive in this opportunity."
- Florida State Softball Coach Lonni Alameda
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"Being able to bring in a coach with Lacey's caliber of knowledge and success is going to continue to move the needle for our program," Vesely said. "She has WCWS experience, she has years of pitching coach experience, and the work she has done this past year with video and technology in the private sector is nothing short of impressive. She is exactly what we were looking for with her value of culture, pitching philosophies and her passion. We are excited to have her with us and cannot wait to see where she takes the pitching staff."
Waldrop comes to Houston after working as a pitching coach for Softball Rebellion. She will serve as the Cougars' pitching coach. Aside from her Women's College World Series appearances as both a player and a coach, Waldrop's extensive resume has made her one of the most recognizable names in softball.
"I could not be more thankful for this opportunity," Waldrop said. "Coach Vesely has done a tremendous job creating a championship culture here, and I'm prepared to build upon that and help take our team to the next level.
"As soon as I spoke with the staff, I knew Houston was the perfect fit for me. We are all like-minded in our expectations for the team, and we hold ourselves to high standards in how we treat and build relationships. This program has a bright future ahead, and I'm so thankful to be a part of it."
Prior to moving into independent coaching, Waldrop served as an assistant coach for Duke from 2017-18, where she helped jumpstart the Blue Devils' inaugural season in 2018. In Duke's first year as a Division I program, Waldrop wasted no time making her pitching staff one of the best in the ACC, posting a 2.05 team ERA, which ranked second in the league and 21st nationally. The Blue Devils also held opponents to a .238 batting average, fifth best in the ACC.
Under her leadership, Waldrop mentored Peyton St. George who earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Behind a perfect 6-0, league record and a 1.40 ERA, St. George was one of three players to finish conference play with a sub-2.00 ERA. By end of the season, she found herself leading all freshmen pitchers with that mark, along with holding the opposition to a .193 clip.
Waldrop began her coaching career studying from arguably the best in the game in Patty Gasso, while serving as the graduate student manager at Oklahoma. In her lone season with the Sooners, Waldrop helped guide OU to a 61-9 record, resulting in the program's second straight Women's College World Series title.
In her four-year playing career at Florida State, Waldrop guided her team to three ACC championships, a pair of conference tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. She became the first player in program history to win back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year (2014-15) accolades and is one of only 13 players win multiple NFCA All-America honors with three.
Waldrop's 2014 campaign turned out to be one for the record books. She led FSU to its first WCWS appearance in 10 years and capped her season when she was named the USA Softball Player of the Year. It marked the second time a Seminole received the honor and established Florida State as the first school in the country with multiple winners of the award.
By the time her storied career was completed, Waldrop was ranked among Florida State's all-time leaders in wins (1st, 109), appearances (3rd, 170), strikeouts (3rd, 917), and saves (4th, 7). Off the field, Waldrop was selected to a pair of All-ACC Academic teams and was a recipient of the 2015 Lowe's Senior Class Award.
When her collegiate career came to an end, Waldrop was drafted by the Chicago Bandits with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch Draft. She led the Bandits to back-to-back Cowles Cup Championships from 2015-16.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
"I had the pleasure of working with Lacey in our Sooner program as a graduate assistant. She was a hard worker who connected very well with our athletes. Lacey is a tremendous competitor and I am confident she will be a great addition to the Houston staff. This is a really solid hire by Coach Vesely."
- Oklahoma Softball Coach Patty Gasso
"Lacey is going to be a wonderful addition to a very driven Houston staff. Not only was she an incredible player while at Florida State, she was a tremendous person. Lacey loves the game of softball, and I know she will thrive in this opportunity."
- Florida State Softball Coach Lonni Alameda
Follow Houston Softball on Twitter and Instagram at UHCougarSB, and "Like" UHCougarSB on Facebook.
Fans can support the Houston Softball program by joining the Diamond Club. For information about the Diamond Club, click here, or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.
– UHCougars.com –
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