LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego's softball head coach Patti Gerckens has announced the hiring of Rachel Garcia, one of the most decorated players in NCAA softball history, as the pitching coach of the Tritons. She takes over UC San Diego's pitching staff after serving as the volunteer assistant coach at San Diego State since January 2022.
 
"We are very excited to welcome Rachel to our staff," Gerckens said. "She will bring a new level of competitiveness to our program and our pitching staff is hungry to learn from an NCAA National Champion and Olympian."
 
Garcia will be responsible for the development and growth of the Tritons' pitchers and catchers.

"I'm honored to be a part of the Triton family," said Garcia. "I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with a great staff while furthering the sport of softball by sharing my knowledge and experiences."
 
She spent the 2022 Spring semester as the San Diego State volunteer assistant coach. With Garcia's guidance, the Aztecs returned to postseason play and another NCAA regional appearance in 2022. SDSU finished the 2022 season with a 39-16 record (.709), the second-best record in program history, before falling to No. 8/5 Arizona State, 8-4, in the NCAA Tempe Regional final. San Diego State also captured its league-record eighth Mountain West title with a 20-4 conference record.
 
Prior to her season with San Diego State, Garcia was a national standout two-way player for UCLA from 2017-2021. Earning numerous accolades each season, she was a four-time NFCA All-American, a four-time NFCA All-Region selection, a three-time Pac-12 Player of the Year, the 2019 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, the 2017 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and a four-time all-Pac-12 selection.
 
She also has been chosen twice as the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year (2018-19), and once each as the NFCA National Pitcher of the Year (2019) and the NFCA National Player of the Year (2018). Garcia was also the 2017 NFCA National Freshman of the Year.
 
Garcia helped the USA National Team to gold in 2018 at the WBSC Women's World Championship, and the 2019 USA Softball International Cup, Pan American Games, and Japan Cup. Her most recent Team USA appearance was in 202 at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo where the team took silver.
 
The UCLA grad will be joining a UC San Diego squad that enters its third season of NCAA Division I and Big West Conference play this spring. The Tritons finished with a winning record at the end of the 2022 season and made their first NCAA DI postseason appearance at the NISC Tournament in Colorado. 
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.