Coming in to the 2012 LSU softball season, all eyes were on senior pitcher Brittany Mack.
Mack was named to the 2011 NFCA All-America Third Team and the 2011 All-Southeastern Conference First Team at the conclusion of last season.
Mack finished last season ranked in the top six in the SEC in wins, batters struck out, earned run average and home runs allowed. Mack was even selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 National Pro Fastpitch draft.
But when LSU needed a win to avoid a sweep this past weekend against Georgia on Senior Day at Tiger Park, Mack handed the start to junior pitcher Rachele Fico.
“[LSU coach Beth Torina] asked me if I want to pitch because it would be my option, and I told her I want to win,” Mack said. “So I told her if she wanted me to play for Senior Day, let me hit.”
Fico came through with her 16th win of the season. She gave up four hits and no runs with six strikeouts in seven innings pitched – after throwing 255 pitches in Friday’s 15-inning marathon game against the Bulldogs.
Mack played her part, getting her first career hit on an RBI double that gave the Tigers their first and last run of the game.
Just one year ago, Fico operated in Mack’s shadow. While Mack was the go-to LSU pitcher, Fico enjoyed some modest success of her own.
Fico was ranked No. 7 in the SEC in strikeouts thrown and No. 12 in the conference with a 2.40 ERA.
But a lot can change in one year. This season, Fico sits at the top of the NCAA rankings with a 0.90 ERA.
Fico’s 16 wins also rank No. 7 in the SEC, an impressive accomplishment considering she is backed by an offense with the last-ranked batting average in the conference, at .231.
“I really can’t say enough about Rachele Fico,” Torina said. “She deserves to win so many games, and we’re just trying to find a way to get her run support because it seems she deserves to win every time she walks on the field right now.”
Mack said the dynamic between her and Fico helps the team consistently win games.
“We’re such great friends,” Mack said. “She’s my best friend on the team, and we have such a good combination pitching-wise.”
Even though Fico is thriving, Mack hasn’t fallen. After losses against then-No. 2 Alabama, then-No. 10 Tennessee and then-No. 22 Florida State, Mack regained her form on the road against then-No. 2 Florida, pitching a four-hit shutout as the Tigers took a 1-0 victory.
 
____ Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]