Danielle Thacker is in her fourth season as the primary assistant coach for the Shippensburg University softball team in 2022.
In 2022, Thacker instructed starting pitcher Alicia Ball, who finished as an All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team honoree. Ball was named the PSAC Eastern Division Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks, and posted a 1.59 ERA, fourth in the PSAC. Ball, who went 13-7, struck out 117 batters, seventh in the PSAC, and allowed opponents to hit just .206 against her, which ranks fourth in the PSAC. She had 12 complete games, including two shutouts, and one save. She pitched 132.1 innings, fifth-most in the PSAC.
In her first season with the Raiders, Thacker’s 2019 pitching staff ranked second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in strikeouts (308). Thacker instructed starting pitcher Taryn Wilson, who finished the season ranked third in the conference with 180 strikeouts and tied for eighth in the conference with 13 wins. She also instructed freshman Hannah Johnson, who received All- honors for her work as a utility player and pitcher.
Thacker arrived at Shippensburg from Richard Bland College of William & Mary in Virginia, a junior college at which she served as the head softball coach and an assistant to the athletics department. She began as an assistant coach at Richard Bland for the 2018 season before being elevated to the role of head coach earlier in the year.
Prior to Richard Bland, Thacker spent 2017 as the pitching coach at Shepherd during a season in which the Rams went 41-22 and advanced to the Atlantic 1 Regional Championship Game. With Shepherd, Thacker instructed a staff that compiled a 2.23 team earned run average (ERA) with 265 strikeouts. Two pitchers earned Mountain East Conference (MEC) All-Tournament Team honors, including one who garnered All-Atlantic Region and All-MEC accolades.
Thacker is well versed in all aspects of coaching. At Shepherd, she was involved with practice planning, outfield instruction, pitcher evaluation, pitch calling and charting, and game analysis. She has also handled numerous administrative duties, including travel planning and budget assistance.
As a collegiate athlete, Thacker played four years of Division I softball at the University of New Mexico (1997-2000). Thacker remains ranked among the Top 10 all-time for the Lobos in 20 career statistical categories spanning hitting and pitching.
A two-time All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) First Team selection, Thacker won 51 games and recorded 348 strikeouts as a pitcher while batting .342 with 26 home runs and 143 RBIs at the plate. She threw a perfect game in 1999, and graduated with New Mexico’s school record for career RBIs.
Thacker’s first coaching experience came in 2003-04 with her alma mater. In recent years, Thacker has coached in the Mid-Atlantic Region. After serving as an assistant at Moravian from 2012-13, Thacker spent 2015-16 as a pitching coach at Wilkes.
Additionally, Thacker has more than 15 years of experience as a private instructor. She has worked with Creating Aces (2013-17) in West Virginia and Maryland, and Triple Crown Sports (2001-03) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Thacker played professionally in Forli, Italy for Forli Softball (2000), earning MVP and Best Hitter honors at the Championship Tournament.
