Former Villanova pitcher Caitlyn de la Haba enters her second season as assistant coach of George Mason University's softball team. She works primarily with Mason's pitchers.
In 2016, de la Haba helped freshman pitchers Marina Vitalich and Gabriella Lopez adjust to the college game during a 22-25 campaign for Mason. Vitalich became the Patriots' main pitcher despite veteran Sarah Kleinfelter in the lineup and posted a team-best 14-10 record while averaging 1.75 earned runs per game. in 31 games. Lopez appeared in 13 games, starting eight of them, and finished with a 3-3 record in her rookie season.
De la Haba arrived at Mason after an assistant coach stint at Lehigh, where she spent nearly two years. Two of de la Haba’s main responsibilities were to coordinate recruitment and monitor student-athletes’ academic success to ensure compliance. In addition, she has been a softball instructor around Pennsylvania and Virginia for 10 years, preparing players at various positions and age for the next level of competition.
“I could not be more thankful to Coach Verbanic for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Mason Softball program,” de la Haba said about the opportunity. “I am extremely humbled to be working with such a talented group of student-athletes, including a very strong pitching staff and I look forward to helping this program toward its goal of becoming Atlantic 10 champion!”
The Ashburn, Va. native had an illustrious playing career that started at Broad Run High School, where she was the starting pitcher all four years and compiled an overall record of 82-1, helping the Spartans become the No. 1 team in the nation in 2008, according to USA Today. With de la Haba on the mount, the team registered 65 shutouts, 26 no-hitters and 13 perfect games.
After her high school performances earned her back-to-back Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2007 and 2008, De la Haba took her talents to Villanova, where she was a leader in appearances during all of her four seasons. She left her mark on Villanova softball history and left the program as all-time leader with 75 complete games, third all-time in strikeouts (660) and fifth in career victories after winning 55 games with the Wildcats.
Exceptional in the classroom as well as on the field, de la Haba earned her undergraduate degree in Communication from Villanova in 2012 while regularly appearing on the Dean’s List. The former Communication Honor Society member earned a plethora of academic recognition such as Big East Honor Roll and Academic All-Star honors, as well as being named as an All-American Scholar Athlete by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. During her coaching tenure at Lehigh, de la Haba continued her education and earned a Master’s degree in Education in January 2014.
“Caitlyn is going to be an important piece to the growth of our team,” head coach Joe Verbanic said. “She brings a variety of outstanding skills and experiences that will benefit not only the pitchers and catchers, but our entire team, on the field and off it.”
