San Diego State announced on Friday the addition of softball legend Rachel Garcia to the Aztecs’ coaching staff.
Garcia will serve as a volunteer assistant coach at SDSU, joining the inaugural staff of head coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz, who enters her first season as head coach and is a fellow UCLA Bruin alumnus.
A legend in her own time during her playing career at UCLA, Garcia suited up for the Bruins from 2017-2021 and earned the National Player of the Year award in both 2018 and 2019. She also was twice named the Honda Cup award winner as the best collegiate female athlete – across all sports – in both 2019 and ’21.
Garcia was also part of the United States Olympic team that earned a silver medal in the Tokyo Games last summer. She also was invited to the Team USA selection tryouts that were held last week and is signed to play professionally with Athletes Unlimited this summer.
During her time at UCLA, Garcia recorded 99 wins in the circle, posted a 1.43 ERA and 996 strikeouts, as well as an opponent’s batting average of .172. A two-way player, she batted .337 during her career as a Bruin, with 43 home runs and 175 RBIs to her credit.
The San Diego State coaching staff might be the most decorated of any staff in college softball: In addition to Garcia and Nuveman-Deniz – the latter of whom is a 3-time Olympic medalist – the Aztecs’ staff also includes assistant coach Victoria Hayward, who led Team Canada to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
