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| Hailey Decker, the newly-appointed head coach of the Philippine national women's softball team - the RP Blu Girls (Image Source: Lemon GreenTea/Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines) |
The Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) recently appointed Hailey Decker as the new Head Coach of the RP (Republic of the Philippines) Blu Girls, the country’s national softball team. Decker is no stranger to the RP Blu Girls. She previously played first and third base during her ASAPHIL career from 2017 to 2019 and she had helped the team bag a historic silver award in the 2017 Asian Championships — a top-level international sports competition of Asian athletes and sports teams.
“Decker has been with us for a while. She is fully committed and truly immerses herself in the culture, making sure she maintains a strong connection with all the players. She is also very generous in sharing her knowledge and skills which is a trait that is well appreciated by the team and her peers,” said ASAPHIL Secretary General Cheska Altomonte. ASAPHIL President Jean Henri Lhuillier, also shared his warm reception of Decker as the new head coach. “Hailey in 2017 was a great addition to the team as a player, so I know that as she steps on the role of being the head coach, she will help the team achieve far greater things. The Blu Girls are also excited to have her on board as one of their mentors. With the wealth of experience Decker brings, our national team will surely have a great deal of advantage in the sport,” Lhuillier said.
While Coach Decker is now head coach of the Blu Girls team, she is also an assistant coach for the University of the Pacific. During her collegiate years at the University of Nebraska, she helped the Huskers achieve a stellar 45-16 record that led to the team playing at the Women’s College World Series. In her final season, she set the Huskers’ single-season record for doubles and was named First Team All-Big 10 and First Team All-Midwest Region. She then transferred to the University of Oregon as a junior and was a starter for the Ducks in the 2015 Women’s College World Series (WCWS). Earning All-Pac12 Honorable Mention and First Team All-Pacific Region, Decker helped Oregon to back-to-back Pac-12 titles in 2015 and 2016. Decker also became a member of the Philippines National Team in 2017, where she went on to start for the national squad in the World Cup of Softball, Canada Cup, USA Softball International Cup, Asian Games, Asian Championships, Asia Cup, and the World Softball Championships.
With her exposure and experience in softball internationally, Decker seeks to hone the knowledge, skills, and instincts of the Philippine national softball team and contribute more to the sport in the country.
