Marshall University sophomore softball player Elicia D’Orazio is continuing to build on her short, but already promising career with the Herd in her second season. 

D’Orazio was noted for having one of the best freshman seasons in Marshall softball history when she recorded a .354 batting average and tied for second on the team with 28 RBIs.

She joined the Herd family after three-year stint as a member of the Puerto Rico National team and having earned with all-state honors in high school.

The Florida native said Marshall’s environment was really busy and a different experience from her upbringing in the sunshine state, but she said her coaches assisted her with the transition.

“It’s definitely been easy having all the help from the coaches and graduate assistants, keeping us all on track,” D’Orazio said.

Now in her second season with the program, D’Orazio is on track to post back-to-back seasons hitting over .300, and she remains the linchpin of the team’s defensive performance as the starting shortstop.

D’Orazio and the Herd’s record sits at 19-13 thus far this season, and she said the team has big goals heading into the second half of its schedule.

“We definitely plan on winning the conference tournament, that’s hands down,” D’Orazio said. “We came a long way since fall; our goal is to make it to super regionals.”

As D’Orazio dreams big regarding the teams outlook heading forward, she said her relationship with head coach Shonda Stanton has mirrored that of her father, who coached from age 5 to her junior year of high school.

“We definitely have a love/hate relationship,” D’Orazio said of her relationship with Stanton. “Freshman year, I wasn’t buying into what she was saying. Coach really picked up where my dad left off, we bump heads, but she’s helped me grow a lot.”

Considering her immediate success at Marshall, D’Orazio said she would hate for her talent to go to waste after her collegiate career ends.

D’Orazio is schedule to graduate in 2018 and said she plans to compete for Puerto Rico in the 2020 Olympics.

“Playing for a country is an awesome feeling,” D’Orazio said. “Being the youngest on the team, everyone was really supportive,” D’Orazio said.

However, with two more seasons of eligibility following this season, D’Orazio’s focus remains on her career at Marshall.

The Herd will head to Birmingham, Alabama over the weekend for a three-game series against University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Danielle Wright can be contacted at [email protected].