The Shadow
NEW HOKIE PITCHING COACH — Angela Tincher O’Brien has been named pitching coach at Virginia Tech. Tincher O’Brien played softball in the Covington Little League program and played her freshman season at Alleghany High School before winning two state championships at James River. (Virginia Tech Photo)
NEW HOKIE PITCHING COACH — Angela Tincher O’Brien has been named pitching coach at Virginia Tech. Tincher O’Brien played softball in the Covington Little League program and played her freshman season at Alleghany High School before winning two state championships at James River. (Virginia Tech Photo)
DECORATED CAREER — Angela Tincher O’Brien holds her USA Softball National Player of the Year trophy as well as the National Student-Athlete of the Year trophy. (Virginia Tech Photo)
DECORATED CAREER — Angela Tincher O’Brien holds her USA Softball National Player of the Year trophy as well as the National Student-Athlete of the Year trophy. (Virginia Tech Photo)
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Once a Hokie, always a Hokie.
Angela Tincher O’Brien, who got her softball feet wet in the Covington Little League program, is returning to Blacksburg.
Tuesday, Tincher O’Brien was named the pitching coach at Virginia Tech.
“It is with great pleasure that I can announce Angela Tincher O’Brien as our new assistant coach,” said Hokie softball coach Scot Thomas Tuesday. “What a tremendous opportunity for our pitching staff to work with one of the all-time greats in the history of college softball and one that is just as bought into wearing the maroon and orange as they are as a player at Virginia Tech.”
Tincher O’Brien played her freshman year of high school softball at Alleghany before transfering to James River.
At Virginia Tech, she posted a 123-35 record in the circle with a 0.78 earned run average and 2,149 strikeouts — the third most in the history of NCAA softball at any level.
Tincher O’Brien, who is married to former Virginia Tech baseball player Sean O’Brien, was a national Player of the Year, a three-time ACC Player of the Year and led the Hokies to their first College World Series in 2008.
After graduation, Tincher played two seasons for the Akron Racers in the National Pro Fastpitch League and also played professionally in Japan.
Tincher O’Brien served one-year stints at both Syracuse University and the University of Maryland as a pitching coach, helping both teams to NCAA tournament berths.
Recently, she spent a year as a program manager for Insignia Athletics as the head of fastpitch glove sales and development, while serving as the color analyst for the NPF’s USSSA Pride and ESPN3 broadcast teams.
Tincher O’Brien also founded an instructional business that trains pitchers, both mentally and physically, and served as a volunteer pitching coach at Daytona State Community College for two seasons while living in Orlando.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to get back to Blacksburg and work with the program that helped me become who I am today,” said Tincher O’Brien in a statement released by Virginia Tech.
“After playing for them, I now look forward to working with Coach Thomas and Coach (Al) Brauns, as we continue to make this program into a national contender,” she added. “Coach (Barb) Sherwood has left behind a talented staff and I look forward to picking up where she left off.”
Sherwood, who held the pitching coach position at Tech, accepted the head coaching job at Portland State University.
Tincher O’Brien will begin her duties at Tech on September 2 as the Hokies prepare for the fall season.
Angela vs. Jailyn
How good has this area softball pair been.
Now they will face off, so to speak, on the diamond.
Angela’s Hokies will take on Bath County native Jailyn Ford’s James Madison University Dukes both in the fall and during the spring regular season.
Both Virginia Tech and JMU will play in the Military Appreciation Fall Tournament at the Botetourt Sports Complex in Troutville on September 28-29.
The Hokies and Dukes will meet on September 28 at 2:30 p.m.
Next spring, Tech will host JMU in a doubleheader in Blacksburg on Wednesday, March 26.
