A three-time All-American at the University of Florida, Aja Paculba is in her second season as an assistant coach at the College of Charleston. She works primarily with the Cougar hitters and infielders.
In her first year at CofC the Cougars had one of the top offensive seasons in school history, with its .303 batting average tied for the second-highest mark and its .432 slugging percentage topped only twice in the program’s previous 24 seasons. Five players were named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association team.
The Cougar defense also played a large role in the team’s 33-win season, posting a fielding percentage of .969 while ranking among the national leaders with 27 double plays turned.
Paculba came to the Cougars after spending three seasons at Western Kentucky. In 2015 the Hilltoppers won the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and posted a record of 36-14, defeating a Tennessee team that went on to reach the College World Series and two other nationally-ranked teams in Georgia and Nebraska. Western Kentucky earned the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Co-Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year, and Miranda Kramer became the program’s first All-American.
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The previous season, the Hilltoppers went 33-24-1 with wins over No. 2 Tennessee and Ole Miss. The victory over the Volunteers was not only the highest-ranked opponent Western Kentucky ever defeated, it also snapped Tennessee’s 121-game home winning streak.
Paculba began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Florida International in 2012, helped lead the Panthers to a third-place finish in the Sun Belt. She also played two seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch League after being selected with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Paculba starred at second base for the Gators during a four-year career in Gainesville which saw her start all 271 games and helping to lead Florida to appearances in the College World Series each season, including a pair of runner-up finishes. She was also a member of two SEC regular season and tournament championship teams.
She was the first freshman in school history to earn All-America honors and was selected to the All-SEC and All-Southeast Region squads all four years. Paculba finished her career as Florida’s all-time career leader in hits (279), at bats (821), runs scored (253) and walks (160) and also ranks in the top 10 in several other categories.
Paculba graduated from Florida in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in family, youth and community sciences.
