18Apr
Jen Rocha – 2016
- Jennifer Rocha has made a name for herself as one of the top pitching instructors in the country. In her 10 seasons at Florida, Rocha has tutored five All-American hurlers in Stephanie Brombacher, Stacey Nelson, Hannah Rogers, Lauren Haeger and Aleshia Ocasio. In two of the last eight years, the Gators have turned in the top team ERA in the country and the 2015 national championship season kept the bar high as Florida posted the top ERA in the SEC (1.63) for the third consecutive year, a figure that ranked fourth in the nation.
- During her senior season, not only did Haeger lead the Gators to their second-straight NCAA Championship but the Peoria, Ariz., product became the first Gator to win the USA National Player of the Year award, third to be named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player and second to garner softball’s Honda Award. In addition, she was named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year and Pitcher of the Year.
- Also in 2015, Rocha coached rookie Aleshia Ocasio to third team All-America honors, becoming the second freshman in Gator history to achieve that honor. In addition, Ocasio became the fourth Gator freshman in five years with 100+ strikeouts. Pitchers under Rocha’s tutelage grace many pages of the Florida record books.
- Rocha made the trip to Gainesville with head coach Tim Walton, as the two have worked together for a decade. Under Rocha, the Wichita State pitching staff set several school records and posted an earned run average of under 2.00 in back-to-back seasons.
- “Jennifer is a great pitching coach,” Walton said. “She has a calm, collected presence about her. She is a good teacher, as well as a good game-day coach.”
- Rocha is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and played for the Sooners from 1996 through 1998. During her time as both a player and a coach, Rocha was a part of six consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, three Big 12 Conference title