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Staff Directory
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- Start Date:
- 06/01/2017
Former SEC standout and Auburn graduate assistant Kasey Fagan joined Dot Richardson's staff as an assistant coach in June 2017. Following the 2022 season, she was promoted to her current position of associate head coach.
Starting in the fall of 2022, her duties include serving as the Lady Flames' pitching coach while also coaching the infielders. She handles many administrative roles in addition to her work in recruiting. During her first five years, Liberty has posted a 262-129 record, earning four conference tournament titles, four NCAA Regional final appearances and one NISC Regional title.
While she has focused on the defense while at Liberty, the Lady Flames have posted the first (.977 in 2018), second (.969 in 2021), third (.966 in 2024) and fourth (.965 in 2022 and 2023 - tied) best fielding percentages in program history. During the 2023 season, Liberty smashed the previous program record with 31 double plays turned.
Fagan has helped guide the Lady Flames to 21 wins over Top 25 teams during her time at Liberty, including victories over No. 13 Arkansas, No. 18 Virginia Tech and No. 9 Tennessee during the 2021 season and wins over No. 23 Notre Dame, No. 9 Duke and No. 19 Georgia in 2022. In 2023, the Lady Flames defeated No. 13 Alabama, No. 24 Central Arkansas, No. 6 Clemson and No. 2 UCLA. The Lady Flames also posted their first two NCAA postseason wins in 2018, beating Hofstra and South Carolina in order to make the program’s first NCAA Regional final appearance.
In 2024, the Lady Flames (38-25) won both the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles, becoming the first team since 2015 (WKU) to win the CUSA championship in its first year in the league. Liberty earned a program-record six victories over Top 25 opponents, including wins over No. 10 LSU and No. 11 Georgia. The Lady Flames made their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, qualifying for the Regional final for the second year in a row and fourth time in the last six full seasons. The squad finished the season ranked in both the D1Softball.com and Softball America Top 25.
The 2024 season saw the emergence of a new pitching staff for the Lady Flames. Newcomers Elena Escobar (transfer from North Alabama), Kaylan Yoder (freshman) and Katie Love (freshman) all earned end-of-season honors. Escobar finished the season tied for the CUSA lead with 16 wins, while also being named to the NFCA All-Region first team. Yoder was a first team all-conference and second team all-region selection, while Love was voted to the CUSA All-Freshman Team.
During the 2023 season, Fagan and Emily Kirby guided Liberty’s pitching staff to a 2.38 ERA, including 12 shutouts. They guided ASUN All-Conference second team and VaSID All-State Pitcher of the Year to a 27-12 record and 2.03 record, as she posted the second-most wins in a single season in program history. Keeney pitched all 14 innings on elimination day at the Los Angeles Regional, as Liberty knocked out No. 2 UCLA and Grand Canyon. Paige Bachman thrived in her first year as a starting pitcher, posting a 2.35 ERA and .222 opponents batting average.
In 2022, Liberty opened the season ranked No. 24 in three major preseason national polls. The Lady Flames finished the 2022 campaign with a 44-18 record, posting the nation’s best conference winning percentage with a 23-1 ASUN record. Liberty outscored opponents 24-5 while sweeping to its second straight ASUN Softball Championship title. The team tied a program record with three wins over Top 25 programs, including a 2-0 win over No. 19 Georgia in the first game of the 2022 NCAA Durham Regional.
The Lady Flames finished one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2021, posting a 44-15 record, including 16-2 in ASUN North Division play. Liberty, the No. 1 seed in the North Division, claimed its fourth conference tournament title by capturing the ASUN Softball Championship.
Competing in the NCAA Softball Championship for the fourth time, Liberty made its second appearance in a Regional final. The Lady Flames served as the No. 2 seed for the Knoxville Regional, eliminating Eastern Kentucky and the host No. 9 national seed Tennessee Lady Vols. Liberty fell to Women’s College World Series semifinalist James Madison twice at the Regional.
The 2021 season saw numerous firsts, including the team’s first appearance in the Top 25 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. The Lady Flames posted their best year-end RPI (19), while finishing the season ranked 25th in both the USA Softball and NFCA Coaches Polls. Liberty also earned its first-ever win over both Notre Dame and Tennessee, and first home win over a Top 25 opponent (Virginia Tech).
Liberty continued its ascent as a program, posting 40 or more wins for the fourth straight full season. The Lady Flames are one of just 10 NCAA Division I softball teams to win 40 or more games in each season from 2017-19 and 2021.
She has helped Liberty post eight wins over Top 25 opponents, including victories over No. 13 Arkansas, No. 18 Virginia Tech and No. 9 Tennessee in 2021. Liberty's win over No. 6 Michigan on Feb. 23, 2020 tied the highest-ranked opponent Liberty has ever beaten in softball. The Lady Flames also posted their first two NCAA postseason wins in 2018, beating Hofstra and South Carolina in order to make the program's first NCAA Regional final appearance.
In 2019, Fagan helped Liberty make an immediate impact on the ASUN Conference, as the Lady Flames went 40-22 overall and finished second in conference standings at 16-5. The Lady Flames claimed their second NISC Regional title in the last three years, not allowing a single run in winning the Lynchburg Regional. Liberty opened the season ranked No. 22 in the Softball America Poll, the team's first time appearing in the Top 25.
The 2018 Lady Flames had a record-setting season, going 49-14 and 18-3 in Big South play, winning the Big South regular-season title for the second year in a row. The Lady Flames claimed the Big South Softball Championship title by sweeping through the conference tournament. Then, Liberty won its first two games at the NCAA Columbia Regional, upsetting No. 24/24 Hofstra and No. 10/11 South Carolina to advance to the Regional final. At the end of the season, Liberty received a program-record 17 votes in the final NFCA Top 25 Poll, while being holding a program-best RPI of 29.
Liberty was voted 2018 NFCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. Fagan’s assistance with the defense helped Liberty improve its fielding percentage to .977 in 2018 after the team fielded at a .957 clip the previous year.
While at Auburn over the last two seasons, Fagan worked with the Tigers as they advanced to back-to-back NCAA Super Regionals. In 2016, Auburn competed in the Women’s College World Series final, falling to Oklahoma. The Tigers posted a 107-24 record during Fagan’s two seasons on staff.
After playing two seasons (2011, 2012) at Florida, Fagan completed her playing career at Arkansas, where she was a 2014 NFCA All-South Region second team selection. That season saw her bat .306 with nine homers and 46 RBI. She finished her time at Arkansas with a .313 career batting average, which was ranked fourth in program history at the time of graduation. She posted 10-game hitting streaks as both a junior and senior. Her 46 RBI in 2014 are the third most in a single season in Arkansas program history.
Fagan’s high school honors were highlighted in 2010, when she was named the Gatorade Florida State Player of the Year. Her younger sister, Sami, won the award the following year.
A native of Dunnellon, Fla., Fagan comes from an athletic family. Her father, Kevin Fagan, played for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL from 1986-93, winning two Super Bowl titles. Her younger sisters, Sami (Florida, 2012; Missouri, 2014-16) and Haley (Auburn, 2014-17) both played softball in the SEC and were teammates on the Akron Racers in the NPF.
Fagan graduated from Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in business management in May 2015, before earning a master’s degree in adult education from Auburn in May 2017.
Fagan is married to Will Graham and currently resides in the Lynchburg area.
