Purdue Softball Prepares for Year 1 Under Magali Frezzotti

It is a new year at Bittinger Stadium, and a new era for Purdue softball. Magali Frezzotti takes over the program after the departure of Boo De Oliveira and she is looking to revive a program that has been in the doldrums for a while. Purdue has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2009 and it had just one winning full season record in seven years under De Oliveira. The Boilers have also failed to finish in the top half of the Big Ten in that time.

Frezzotti takes over as the fifth coach in program history, but for the last two seasons she has been on staff as an assistant. Before that she was an assistant at both Montana and Eastern Michigan, so this is her first time as a head coach. She is also the former captain of the Argentina National Team, with whom she played for 13 years.

Purdue is coming off of a 23-30 season, but it went 6-17 in the Big Ten, good for 13th place in the league. That makes for a challenging build ahead, but according to Extra Inning Softball it has a second straight top 25 recruiting class. That class was led by Ashlyn Campbell, who was named to Softball America’s Freshman Watch List. Campbell led the country last season with 107 hits and was second in runs scored and stolen bases. She projects as a utility player.

Middle infielder Tyrina Jones will return as the best hitter. She was second on the team last season with a .315 average, 8 home runs, and 32 RBI. Purdue will need to replace Alex Echazarreta, who led the team in hitting while also making 32 appearances as a pitcher. Outfielder Kiara Dillon and first baseman Olivia McFadden are also major building blocks that return. Jade Moy gives Purdue three returning infielders from last season, while Jones led the team in runs scored with 34.

In the pitching circle Purdue will rely on Madi Elish to step into a larger role. She was 8-4 last season in 12 starts and had a 3.31 ERA. She is the lone returning pitcher from last season’s roster. Freshmen Jules Raymond and Julia Gossett will look to have parge roles early on, while Emma Bailey, a sophomore, will make her Purdue debut some time. Bailey was a highly rated pitcher at North Central in Indianapolis in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Gossett was ranked 39th in the 2023 cycle.

“We genuinely care about each other and the success of one another,” shortstop Tyrina Jones shared. “We are a very flexible team – we have a lot of moving parts, but everyone is able to adjust to it all and keep an open mind.”

According to D1Softball.com the Big Ten has just two ranked teams. Nebraska starts the season at 14th while Northwestern is 24th. The Boilers do not play Nebraska and they will host Northwestern for three games on April 19-21. Purdue will face a very early tough test this weekend when it plays No. 6 Georgia twice in Athens this weekend along with Murray State and South Dakota in the Red and Black Showcase. In early March it will play No. 4 Florida State twice in the FGCU Spring Break Classic.

“The freshman class has been phenomenal,” Frezzotti shared. “They are hard-working, self-motivated, determined and ready to make an impact. I have watched them grow so much in seven months and I am excited to watch them compete this season, they are ready.”

The season officially starts Friday at 10:30am against Murray State in Athens, followed by a 1pm game against South Dakota.

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Finally, the best way to see a game is in person, so book a room at the Hampton Inn & Suites near campus and get your tickets via Stubhub.