Cara Parker Tabbed as Assistant Coach
8/4/2021 1:15:00 PM | Softball
Parker comes to Mercer from Santa Fe College where she worked with head coach Lindsay Fico.
MACON, Ga. – Newly appointed head softball coach Lindsay Fico announced the addition of Cara Parker as an assistant coach on Wednesday afternoon.
"I am very excited to welcome Cara to the Mercer softball family," said Fico. "She was instrumental in our growth and success at Santa Fe the last three seasons and will no doubt continue that trend here at Mercer. She is familiar with the state of Georgia having grown up in Valdosta and attending high school at Lowndes High. Her attention to detail and fun-loving approach to coaching will be exactly what we need to hit the ground running."
"I am extremely excited to join the Mercer coaching staff," added Parker. "Working alongside Lindsay for the last three seasons has been an amazing opportunity. We share many of the same coaching philosophies, as well as our overall goal to make sure every student-athlete has an enjoyable playing experience."
Parker, a former softball standout at Appalachian State University, spent three seasons as an assistant to Fico at Santa Fe College. In 2021, the Parker helped the Saints reach the FCSAA State Tournament for the 16th time in program history and the first time since 2017. The Saints concluded the season with a 31-16 record and went 20-1 at home. Parker and the Saints won the Mid-Florida Conference Tournament Championship, and six Saints received all-conference honors. Additionally, a trio of players – Taylor Barrett, Neely Peterson and Grace Prom – earned FCSAA All-State/All-NJCAA Region XIII accolades. The Saints had a .306 team batting average and recorded 378 hits, including 132 extra-base hits. Santa Fe smashed 78 doubles, a quartet of triples and 50 home runs.
In the circle, Santa Fe's pitchers had a combined 3.80 ERA and tallied 178 strikeouts. Barrett led the team with 14 wins in 27 appearances. Â
Despite the 2020 season being shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker helped the Saints go 16-14 overall. The Saints hit .247 in 2020 and scored 159 runs. In the circle, Dontaysha Gobourne had an impressive 2.68 ERA and won seven games.
Parker joined Fico at Santa Fe prior to the 2019 season and helped the Saints win 23 games. Santa Fe finished the season fourth in the Mid-Florida Conference.
A four-year starter at Appalachian State, Parker was made an immediate impact, earning All-SoCon Freshman Team honors in 2014. Her breakout season came as a junior when she hit .346 (54-of-156) and smacked 12 home runs while driving in 45 runs. For her career, she hit .291 (161-of-554) and blasted 38 home runs. She drove in 118 batters and drew 70 walks. She finds herself in the Appalachian State record books in numerous categories pertaining to career records. Parker currently is third in runs batted in (118), home runs (38), slugging percentage (.569) and total bases (315). She is tied for seventh with 106 runs scored and sits ninth with 161 hits.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MUSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
"I am very excited to welcome Cara to the Mercer softball family," said Fico. "She was instrumental in our growth and success at Santa Fe the last three seasons and will no doubt continue that trend here at Mercer. She is familiar with the state of Georgia having grown up in Valdosta and attending high school at Lowndes High. Her attention to detail and fun-loving approach to coaching will be exactly what we need to hit the ground running."
"I am extremely excited to join the Mercer coaching staff," added Parker. "Working alongside Lindsay for the last three seasons has been an amazing opportunity. We share many of the same coaching philosophies, as well as our overall goal to make sure every student-athlete has an enjoyable playing experience."
Parker, a former softball standout at Appalachian State University, spent three seasons as an assistant to Fico at Santa Fe College. In 2021, the Parker helped the Saints reach the FCSAA State Tournament for the 16th time in program history and the first time since 2017. The Saints concluded the season with a 31-16 record and went 20-1 at home. Parker and the Saints won the Mid-Florida Conference Tournament Championship, and six Saints received all-conference honors. Additionally, a trio of players – Taylor Barrett, Neely Peterson and Grace Prom – earned FCSAA All-State/All-NJCAA Region XIII accolades. The Saints had a .306 team batting average and recorded 378 hits, including 132 extra-base hits. Santa Fe smashed 78 doubles, a quartet of triples and 50 home runs.
In the circle, Santa Fe's pitchers had a combined 3.80 ERA and tallied 178 strikeouts. Barrett led the team with 14 wins in 27 appearances. Â
Despite the 2020 season being shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker helped the Saints go 16-14 overall. The Saints hit .247 in 2020 and scored 159 runs. In the circle, Dontaysha Gobourne had an impressive 2.68 ERA and won seven games.
Parker joined Fico at Santa Fe prior to the 2019 season and helped the Saints win 23 games. Santa Fe finished the season fourth in the Mid-Florida Conference.
A four-year starter at Appalachian State, Parker was made an immediate impact, earning All-SoCon Freshman Team honors in 2014. Her breakout season came as a junior when she hit .346 (54-of-156) and smacked 12 home runs while driving in 45 runs. For her career, she hit .291 (161-of-554) and blasted 38 home runs. She drove in 118 batters and drew 70 walks. She finds herself in the Appalachian State record books in numerous categories pertaining to career records. Parker currently is third in runs batted in (118), home runs (38), slugging percentage (.569) and total bases (315). She is tied for seventh with 106 runs scored and sits ninth with 161 hits.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MUSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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