Every time Rachel Fox trots out to the circle this season, she seems poised to finish the game.
The Aggies have leaned heavily on the senior from Sugar Land, Texas this season, and Fox has not disappointed. She leads the club with a 13-6 record and holds the lead in strikeouts with 110 and 127 2/3 innings pitched.
She has pitched two complete games of eight innings in wins against Penn State and No. 13 Kentucky. More impressively, she pitched another complete game of 10 innings in a 4-3 thriller against South Carolina two weeks ago.
Fox didn’t start her career in Aggieland, as most Aggie softball players do. Like fellow pitcher Katie Marks, Fox transferred from the University of Texas after two years in Austin.
She was primarily used as the team’s No. 2 pitcher behind Blaire Luna in her time with the Longhorns. Fox posted a career record of 32-4 with a 1.72 ERA, striking out 212 and walking 76 in 243 2/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .214 batting average. Fox said Aggie head coach Jo Evans was a reason for the transfer.
“I firmly believe that Coach Evans is the best mentor and coach in the game right now,” Fox said. “She’s one of those types of people that you know that she’s going to fight for you and be in your corner and I really needed someone like that.”
Fox is known for her positive nature on the field and can always be seen encouraging her infield at the Aggie Softball Complex. Fox said she has grown as a leader in her time in Aggieland.
“As a pitcher, you kind of have to be that leader,” Fox said. “You control the entire game. You have the ball on every single play. It’s important for me to know that my infielders around me know that I’m playing for them and it’s not just me out there chunking the ball and trying to strike everybody out. It takes all nine of us trying to get the job done on defense.”
Junior Cali Lanphear said Fox brings an enthusiastic demeanor and constant encouragement to the team.
“She just has a dominant personality and that’s awesome because she’s a pitcher,” Lanphear said. “She’s a go-getter in everything she does. I can remember when she set the tone when she was transferring in. She needed a lot of credits in order to get in here and she took around 21 hours in the summer to be able to get here and compete. She began to set the tone early with that even off of the softball field.”
Evans said she has seen Fox develop as a player during her tenure in Aggieland.
“I’ve seen her grow by leaps and bounds,” Evans said. “I think her leadership has been really good. I think she’s grown into that role. She’s also been able to let her guard down and just have fun. I think she will leave here a better person than when she came. I think this has been a good fit for her.”
