Former BYU softball star turns pro

Former BYU softball player and all-time home run record holder, Angie Quiocho,  is now showcasing her skills in the National Pro Fastpitch League.

Quiocho led the team her senior year at BYU with 28 home runs, helping the Cougars upset No. 7 Texas and move on to play the University of Arizona for the team’s first super regional in BYU softball history.

Not only was Quiocho an outstanding player at BYU, but she also has a fun personality and was famous with the other girls on the team for her “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” impersonation, which she continues be known for to the fans and players in the NPF. Several YouTube videos have captured her act, inspired by the Beyonce hit.

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Quiocho has played in the NPF for the past two seasons with the Diamonds.  The NPF schedule includes a 50-game regular season which starts in June of each year and carries on through August. Fans love Quiocho for her lively personality as well as her impressive hitting power.

Quiocho believes her time at BYU prepared her to play at the next level.

“At BYU, we were always taught to go up with a plan, see if the pitcher has a pattern and get the job done any way[we could],” Quiocho said. “At the professional level, with the high level of play, that’s definitely what you have to do in order to be successful.”

The National Pro Fastpitch League is gaining popularity in the United States. The league promotes the top athletes in fastpitch softball to bring family-friendly entertainment to communities across the U.S.

“It is the goal of the league to entertain and provide positive role models for young people,” Quiocho said. “NPF athletes exhibit this through their actions, both on and off the field.”

Teammates who have gotten to know Quiocho believe she is a strong example of what the NPF looks for in athletes, both as players and as people.

“She has a love for not only the game, but for life that is contagious,” said Cat Osterman, gold medalist and NPF pitching standout. “She wants to compete and loves to do it, but can do it to where everyone knows it’s fun for her.  She is also a very selfless person.”

Osterman also said college affects the skills of each player in the league, and she has seen the influence BYU has had on Quiocho.

“More than anything she is always learning, which she most likely learned in college,” Osterman said. “College shapes us, but we hit our peak later, so for Q[uiocho] she is continuing to learn with a passion.”