Lexie Elkins - Softball Coach - University of Houston Athletics

Lexie Elkins

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
akelkin2@Central.UH.EDU

Former No. 1 overall National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) draft pick Lexie Elkins joined the University of Houston Softball staff as an assistant coach in July 2019.

Elkins serves as the team’s hitting coach and works with the catchers.

LEXIE ELKINS
Hometown	Victoria, Texas
College	Louisiana-Lafayette, 2017 Behavioral Sciences
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Level	School/Organization (Years)
NPF	Pennsylvania Rebellion (2016)
College	Louisiana-Lafayette (2014-16)
	Texas Tech (2013)
High School	Victoria East (2008-12)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Year	School, Position
2020-21	Houston, assistant coach
2018-19	Mississippi State, volunteer assistant
2018	Louisiana-Lafayette

AT HOUSTON
Despite her first season with Houston being cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Elkins immediately made an impact with the Cougars, having possessed one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. In the 23 games Houston played, Elkins helped the Cougars bolster 38 home runs, a mark that ranked fifth in the country.

As a result of Houston's ability to hit the long ball, the Cougars strung together a seven-game stretch having launched at least one home run, something that had not been accomplished since 2013. In total, Houston hit 20 home runs during that stretch.

On the year, Houston saw seven players launch four or more home runs, led by sophomore catcher Kati Ray Brown, who paced The American with nine home runs, which ranked 15^th in the nation. Houston's balanced offensive attack resulted in the Cougars scoring an average of 6.78 runs per game, a number that sat among the best in the country at No. 13.

In her second season with the Cougars, Elkins continued to help bring national prominence to the program, mentoring redshirt Sarah Queen to a spot on the NFCA All-Region Second Team. Queen finished the 2021 campaign shinning under the brightest lights, leading Houston in nearly every offensive category against RPI top-75 opponents. In those 29 games, Queen held a .313 average to go along with seven home runs, 20 RBIs, 25 hits and 15 runs scored.

The NFCA All-Region honor was the second of Queen's career and one of two postseason awards she earned on the year, as she was named to the All-American Athletic Conference First Team for the second time in her career. With the help of Elkins' guidance, Houston landed two players on the All-Conference team, with redshirt senior Lindsey Stewart-Vaughn holding a spot on the Second Team. This was the first postseason accolade of Stewart-Vaughn's career.

PRIOR TO HOUSTON
Elkins joined the Cougar family after serving as a volunteer assistant coach with Mississippi State for the 2019 season, when she helped lead the Bulldogs to a 35-23 record and an appearance in the NCAA Seattle Regional final. While with MSU, Elkins assisted with video analysis, produced scouting reports and analyzed offensive and defensive pitching kinematics.

In 2019, Elkins and the rest of the Bulldogs staff produced two NFCA All-Americans, three NFCA All-South Region honorees and three All-SEC First-Team members.

Prior to her time in Starkville, Miss., Elkins spent a season with her alma mater at Louisiana-Lafayette, having earned an appearance in the NCAA Regional after winning both the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) regular season and tournament titles. In 2017, the Ragin’ Cajuns saw three student-athletes earn NFCA All-America honors, while another five garnered NFCA All-Region accolades.

Before beginning her coaching career, Elkins competed in the NPF, where she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Pennsylvania Rebellion in 2016. While only playing in the professional ranks for a season, Elkins put her power on display, leading her squad in home runs.

By the time Elkins finished her career at Louisiana, she emerged as one of the most decorated players to compete for the Ragin’ Cajuns. As a two-time NFCA Catcher of the Year with another three NFCA All-America awards under her belt, Elkins concluded her career as the program’s all-time leader in batting average (.430) and slugging percentage (.989), having helped take Louisiana all the way to the Women’s College World Series in 2014.

Along with her bolstering career numbers, Elkins also set program single-season records after batting .509 and slugging 1.130 in 2016 while blasting 32 home runs in 2015. Her slugging percentage and home run marks are SBC single-season records as well.

Elkins graduated from Louisiana in 2017 with a degree in behavioral sciences with an emphasis in criminal justice. She earned a spot on the Dean’s List during the 2015-16 academic year and was named to the President’s List in 2017.