Sept. 4, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Former collegiate All-American and current National Pro Fastpitch All-Star Erica Beach has been named an assistant softball coach at Ohio State, OSU head coach Linda Kalafatis announced. Beach, who also was a four-time Verizon Academic All-American at Arizona State (1999-02), completes the staff of Kalafatis and former Nebraska All-American Ali Viola.

Kalafatis, who will be in her 11th season at Ohio State in 2006-07, has guided the Buckeyes to a .640 winning percentage since 2000, which ranks third in the Big Ten during that period, thanks in part to talented pitching staffs. In 2007, the Buckeyes return all three members of their pitching staff, which Kalafatis believes Beach will make even better.

"I'm excited and eager to have Erica Beach join our Buckeye softball program," Kalafatis said. "Erica has always been a star on the mound and in the batting line-up for all of the teams she has played on. Consequently, she will work not only with our pitching staff, but she will be valuable to our hitters and she will oversee several administrative areas. Erica experienced tremendous success in the classroom and on the ball field as a student-athlete and those are the same things we want our players to strive for. Her winning attitude and her energy will be infectious with not only our pitchers, but all of our team members, campers and future recruits. With Coach Viola and Coach Beach on staff, our players will learn from some of the best."

"Having the chance to coach at The Ohio State University is by far one of the biggest honors I have ever received," Beach said. "I am so excited to share my knowledge and passion of the game with this team and truly look forward to working with such a respected staff. Coach Kalafatis is one of the best in the country and I can't wait to help her lead this team to a championship. I can't wait to get started and meet the team. Coach Kalafatis has already made me feel like family and I look forward to being a part of this already prestigious athletic department."

Equally talented as a pitcher and a hitter, Beach earned All-Pac 10 honors all four years and was named an All-American twice. She led the Sun Devils to the NCAA tournament four times and to the Women's College World Series twice, including a school-best third-place finish in 2002, the same season Ohio State won a school-record 55 games and came within a game of reaching the World Series. Beach was named to the 2002 Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team.

In the Arizona State record book, Beach ranks third all-time in wins (79), third in home runs (27) and RBI (153) and fourth in strikeouts (501). In the single-season record book, her 33 wins in 2002 are the most in program history and her 48 RBI in 2000 are tied for third.

Beach earned a bachelor of arts in broadcasting from Arizona State in May 2003 and that fall began her professional career in Europe. She played for the Sparks Haarlem in Haarlem, Netherlands, leading the team to the 2003 European Cup championship when she was named the European Cup Most Outstanding Pitcher. In 2004 and 2005 she played for the Arizona Heat in the National Pro Fastpitch League and was an All-Star in 2004.

Last month, Beach helped lead the New England Riptide to the NPF championship.

"Winning the championship with the Riptide was definitely a highlight of my softball career," Beach said. "I have never seen a team work together like this one and I'm so proud to have been a part of it."

Beach began her coaching career at the same time as her professional playing career. She led a junior squad in the Netherlands to the Dutch Junior League championship, then spent the next three years as an assistant coach at high schools in the Phoenix, Ariz., area. On the staff of two programs at the same time, she helped lead Phoenix Country Day High School and Chaparral High School to the state tournament twice (2003, 2004). This past spring she served as an assistant coach at Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, Ariz.

Shortly after graduating from Arizona State, Beach founded U.S. Fastpitch Camps, an instructional camp that has regional sites around the country. She also has been a personal softball instructor in Phoenix since 2002.

Last year's Ohio State pitching staff returns intact in 2006-07, including senior Jamee Juarez and sophomores Kim Reeder and Courtney Pruner. The Buckeyes report for fall practice Sept. 13.