Lexie Handley - Softball Coach - East Carolina University Athletics

Lexie Handley

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
handleya24@ecu.edu

Lexie Handley enters her second season as an assistant coach for the Pirates' softball program after being named to the position in August 2024.

Handley arrives in Greenville after competing in the professional ranks of softball including in the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) league, Japan Diamond League (JDL) and the Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball (FIBS) league. She was a WPF Champion in 2023 with the Texas Smoke in the league’s inaugural year and was a European Cup Gold Medalist and recipient of the “Best Pitcher” award in 2022 as well as an Italian National Champion and Italian Cup Gold Medalist in the same year. She currently plays for the Hub City Adelitas in the WPF.

"I'm excited to welcome Lexie to Pirate Nation,” Winkler said. “She brings a ton of professional playing experience both in the WPF and internationally. You can tell that she has a passion for coaching and giving back to the game. She's going to be a great addition to our program and I look forward to having her develop what is going to be a very talented pitching staff."

The Mogadore, Ohio native was also a decorated pitcher at the collegiate level as she was named to the NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team, All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Tournament Team with Ohio State in 2022. Handley set multiple single-season records with the Buckeyes including strikeouts (271), wins (22) and complete games (24). Prior to playing at Ohio State, Handley competed at Auburn for three seasons and at Akron as a freshman, where she was named the Mid-Atlantic Freshman of the Year after tossing 183 strikeouts and recording a 2.45 ERA with the Zips in 2017.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to join such a special program and coaching staff,” Handley said. “I’m eager to get to work and help the Pirates compete for championships!”

Handley graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State in 2022 with a master’s degree in sport coaching after earning a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from Auburn in 2021.