MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama softball junior pitcher Destin Vicknair sat down with USAJaguars.com on Thursday to talk about what she'll bring to this year's pitching staff after thriving in NCAA Division II at LSU-Eunice.
 
As a freshman in 2014, Vicknair was named All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), after leading the Bengals to a NJCAA DII National Championship.
 
The right-hander from Reserve, La., posted a 28-2 record in 2014 with a 0.94 ERA and 150 strikeouts, in addition to batting .410 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI. As a sophomore last year, Vicknair went 18-4 in the circle with a 1.19 ERA and the country's third-most strikeouts per game (9.53).
 
Vicknair attended Riverside (La.) Academy as a prep, where she was a four-time all-state selection.
 
"Destin is a right-handed pitcher who will come in with two years of college experience," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "I expect her to make an immediate impact on our pitching rotation. She has had a tremendous amount of success at the junior college level and I think her stuff will translate well at the Division I level. She is a durable pitcher who will throw strikes and keep you in ball games. The majority of her game is down in the zone, so she does not give up a lot of home runs or big innings. Despite her success I think she still has room for growth, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with her this fall."
 
Describe the jump from junior college to Division I this year and your experience at South Alabama thus far.
It was a big change because Eunice was four buildings on campus, whereas this one is big. But, I've blended in and gotten used to it quickly.
 
On the field, it was very different. There is so much more detail here. You're always on your feet and doing something.
 
Even in high school – I went to a 2A school in Louisiana – so I was always in a small place. Being at Eunice kind of widened that up for me. Going to junior college was good for me, because I can be comfortable at a place like this.
 
What factored into your decision to join the Jaguar program?
Coach Clark became interested in a former teammate and me after we beat LSU in the fall of my freshman year. After coming for a visit here, I loved it. Coach Clark compared the technique of a former teammate and me to [former Jaguar pitchers] Farish [Beard] and Hannah [Campbell]. That was really exciting to hear, because she had that.
 
What did being named an All-American as a freshman at LSU-Eunice mean to you?
That was awesome. Nobody expects to get that honor in their freshman year. There are no words to describe other than being ecstatic about it.
 
What kind of relationship have you built with the staff's only returner, Devin Brown?
Devin is amazing. If I'm having a bad day, I can just look at her, and she makes everything better.
 
What can fans expect to see from this year's pitching staff?
I think we're going to be good this year, because we have variety. Devin is an up-ball pitcher; me, I'm more of a down-ball pitcher. [Freshman] Tucker [Caraway] is really good; she's working on a lot of stuff. And [sophomore] Abby [Tincher] is a spinner; she moves the ball.
 
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