Heather Rakosik

	Last College: Muskingum '98
	Event: Head Coach
	Experience: 8th Season

05/10/2012

Heather Rakosik Steps Down as Bison Softball Coach

03/26/2012

First Patriot League game of the year

02/14/2012

Season opener preview

Heather Rakosik was hired as the fourth head coach in the history of the Bucknell softball program in 2004 and enters her seventh season at the helm in 2011.

When hired, Rakosik had just finished leading Ohio Wesleyan to a record-setting season. Led by three all-region performers and the first All-American in program history, the Battling Bishops won a school-record 28 games and captured the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season title for the first time. In three seasons as head coach at OWU, Rakosik's teams improved their record every year, and she compiled a 60-54-1 overall ledger.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Rakosik led the 2008 Bison to their first tournament in three years on her way to being named the Patriot League Coach of the Year. The tournament appearance came on the heels of close calls in 2006 and 2007 when Bucknell entered the final weekend of regular-season play in playoff contention but fell just short.

The 2010 squad earned Bucknell's third consecutive postseason appearance and was Rakosik's fourth Patriot League Tournament contender. After guiding the Bison to their second Patriot League Championship trophy, Rakosik led the 2010 team to the program's first-ever NCAA Championships appearance and a trip to the Columbus, Ohio, Region with California, Ohio State and Kentucky. With a 28-20-1 record at the season's end, Rakosik's squad also tied the Bucknell record for most wins in a season.

After taking over a Bucknell team that went 14-26 overall and 8-12 in the Patriot League in 2004, she helped the Bison increase their win total to 16 in her first season as they qualified for the Patriot League Tournament for the second consecutive year after enduring a three-year hiatus from the postseason. That year Rakosik helped tutor Lauren Wible to a .524 batting average, which led the nation.

The last several years Rakosik has expanded the team's schedule to nearly 50 games in hopes of preparing the team better for Patriot League play. Additionally, she has had the squad begin the season in mid-February, rather than mid-March, as had been the case before her arrival. In addition to her duties as head softball coach at Ohio Wesleyan, Rakosik also served as an instructor in the physical education department as well as assistant women's basketball coach. She helped guide the team to a winning record in each of her three seasons, highlighted by an NCAC championship and NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" appearance in 2002.

Prior to her tenure at Ohio Wesleyan, Rakosik served as head softball coach and assistant women's basketball coach at Hiram College. There, she led the diamond squad to its best overall record in 11 years.

Rakosik is a 1998 graduate of Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. She graduated cum laude with a degree in health and physical education, as well as a K-12 teaching certificate. She also gained valuable athletics experience working as an assistant in the sports information office as well as with the women's athletic director. As a student-athlete, Rakosik starred in both basketball and softball. On the hardwood she was a 1,000-point scorer (1,378) who broke school records for points (37) and 3-pointers (8) made in a game. She was a First Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection in softball and the recipient of the OAC Clyde A. Lamb Scholar-Athlete Award. Her stellar career with the Muskies recently led to her induction into the Muskingum Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2009.

Rakosik went on to earn a master's degree in education from Defiance (Ohio) College in 2000. While at Defiance, Rakosik also served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the women's basketball program, helping to guide the team to a 22-5 record and a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title. As the head junior varsity coach, she led her team to a 14-3 record.

At Bucknell, Rakosik has won more than 100 games in her first six seasons and in 2008 passed Janelle Breneman for second place on the Bison career wins list.

During her first six years at the helm of the Bison, Rakosik has tutored nine different players to First Team All-Patriot League plaudits, including two-time selections Lauren Litts, Lauren Wible, Elyse Colmenero and Lauren Fry. Additionally, eight other players have earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors and two more have been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year.