ARLINGTON – UT Arlington softball assistant coach Fa Leilua wrapped up a remarkable year playing in the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) for the Oklahoma City Spark.

Founded by USA Softball, WPF is the official professional softball league in the United States as the league reinstated former National Professional Fastpitch (NPF). WPF expanded to include four teams for its second season that includes the newly formed Texas Smoke as well as the Spark, Vipers and longstanding USSSA Pride franchise.

In the regular season, Leilua helped the Spark to a 2nd place finish with an overall record of 21-14. Leilua's performance as a collegiate player easily transferred to the professional world as the former Mississippi State standout led the league in home runs (9) and walks (29). Not to mention, Leilua finished top-3 across the league in on-base percentage (.466), OPS (1.070) and RBI (24).

"Playing for the WPF this year has made a huge impact on my softball journey," stated Leilua. "Playing the game at a traditional setting on a faster, stronger, and highly competitive level has pushed me to become not only the best player I can be but a coach as well."
 
Transitioning from a player to a coach has given Leilua a profound meaning of what it's like to be a coach at the collegiate level. At UTA, Leilua is joined by head coach Kara Dill and fellow assistant coach Jo Koons.
 
"Coach Dill, Coach Koons and I have had many conversations about being an important part of these young women's lives and how to be the best mentor we can be for them," said Leilua. "As a coach, I am excited to learn more and continue to create a competitive mindset for these athletes at UTA."
 
Dill, Koons and Leilua guided the Mavericks to a 22-win season with notable victories over Texas Tech (Feb. 10), Tulsa (Feb. 11-12), Kentucky (Feb. 17) and North Texas (Mar. 29). Primarily working with the hitters, Leilua helped UTA's Marley Neises to an outstanding freshman campaign, batting .382 at the plate which later led to All-WAC Second Team honors.

"I am extremely proud of the way Fa represented herself and UTA Softball this summer in the WPF," said Dill. "Being an elite athlete who led the league in multiple offensive categories on top of serving our program selflessly as a coach is a one-of-a-kind skill set she possesses."

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Softball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTAMavsSB, on Instagram @UTAMavsSB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsSB.