Defeo Elite Softball Camps at the University of West Alabama

DeFeo joins the West Alabama staff after spending eight seasons at the helm of the Mercer University softball program. While at Mercer, she was the winningest coach in program history with a 217-195 record and was the only coach to win 200 games.

Since taking over the Bear’s program in 2014, DeFeo coached four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 2015 SoCon Pitcher of the Year Kirsten Stevens, and the 2018 SoCon Freshman of the Year Micayla Rood. She also instructed 50 all-conference performers, with 14 landing on the first team, 11 second team selections, 13 all-freshman team honorees, and 12 student-athletes who garnered all-tournament team honors. Under her direction, the team finished top-3 in the SoCon Tournament five times, including the team’s only championship appearance in 2015.

Before Mercer, DeFeo served as an assistant coach at several institutions, including Purdue University, the University of Buffalo, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Southeastern Louisiana University. She also had stops as head coach or associate head coach at Ball State University, University of North Carolina Greensboro, and East Tennessee State University.

As a student-athlete, DeFeo attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was an All-American and completed a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

West Alabama softball head coach Stephanie Defeo is pleased to announce the hiring of Kim Mazzapica as the assistant softball coach announced Thursday afternoon.

Prior to joining UWA’s staff, Mazzapica was a private pitching, hitting, and fielding instructor at D-BAT Baton Rouge in Louisiana, La., all of 2021. In 2020, Kim was a personal pitching and hitting instructor at Softball Central in Buffalo, N.Y., and a private team hitting instructor.

Before being a private instructor, Mazzapica was the president and 14U head coach in 2018-19 at Exclusives Academy in Orlando, Fla.

Prior to being a head coach, Mazzapica was the assistant softball pitching coach at Mercer University in 2015-16. During her time at Mercer, she coached the 2015 SoCon Pitcher of the Year, coached the first-ever No-Hitter in SoCon Tournament history and program history, coached a two-time Southern Conference Pitcher of the Month, coached a three-time South Conference Pitcher of the Week, coached the pitcher that broke Mercer’s single-season wins record, and reduced the staff’s ERA.

Outside of her coaching accomplishments, she also assisted in the organization and administration of camps and clinics, organized and managed fundraising and community service events, was in charge of academic monitoring and player academic meetings, assisted in recruiting events, scheduled and executed unofficial and official visits, assist with travel schedule, scholarship management, budgeting management, equipment ordering, and inventory management.

Before being a full-time assistant, she was the pitching coach graduate assistant at Mercer from 2013-15. She graduated with her MBA in 2015.

Before getting her MBA, Kim was a volunteer softball pitching coach at Ball State University from August 2012 to May 2012.

Kim was on a softball scholarship when she attended Ball State University in 2008. She graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Management and Supply Chain Management.

During her time at Ball State University, Kim was named to the 2012 and 2011 MAC All-Academic Team, was the 2012, 2010, and 2009 MAC Regular Season Champions, 2010 NCAA Regular Season Appearance, and 2010 MAC Tournament Champions.

Outside of coaching, Mazzapica runs her own business that she started in 2019. She is the founder and CEO of SoftballaBox. She is also the V.P. of Client Success for CPG Digital in Austin, Texas.