Molly Fichtner starts her seventh season leading ULM Softball in 2025. She was hired as the seventh head softball coach in ULM Softball history on September 21, 2018.
In 2025, Fichtner coached her team to the winningest season in over 25 years with a 35-22 record. ULM Softball also had its best-ever finish in the Sun Belt (third) and the most Sun Belt wins in a season (14). The 2025 Warhawks have broken over 15 single-season records under Coach Fichtner, including batting average, hits, runs, RBIs, doubles and total bases. To close out the regular season, Fichtner was named the 2025 Sun Belt Coach of the Year, the first ULM softball coach to do so in program history.Â
Fichtner led four Warhawks to All-Sun Belt selections in 2025, the most First Team honors (3) since 1992. She also guided Morgan Brown to the honors of NFCA All-Region Third Team, Softball America Freshman All-American and NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 among others. ULM Softball was ranked three times in the D1Softball Mid-Major Rankings over the season, a first for the program.
The 2024 Warhawks won seven-straight Sun Belt Conference games starting in late March after sweeping Marshall and Georgia Southern and winning the series opener at Troy. ULM's seven-game conference winning streak was its longest since the 2002 season.
Fichtner earned her 100th career victory as a head coach on Feb. 17, 2024Â when the Warhawks beat Lindenwood 3-1 at the ULM Softball Complex.
Fichtner’s third season at ULM in 2021 saw the Warhawks pick up 17 wins, which included a signature win over the No. 14 Ragin’ Cajuns to conclude the regular season. It marked ULM’s first win over the Cajuns since 2012. The Warhawks also picked up a pair of wins over I-20 rival Louisiana Tech. ULM also picked up a win at the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the second consecutive tournament.
Fichtner coached senior Jayden Mount to NFCA Third Team All-South Region and First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, while junior Korie Kreps was Second Team All-SBC. As a team, ULM’s batting average jumped 17 points and ERA dropped by nearly two-thirds of a run as compared to the 2019 season.
In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season, Fichtner’s Warhawks built off the success established late in the 2019 season by going 10-14. As a team, ULM was hitting .295 and had posted a team ERA of 4.30 before the season was shut down. The Warhawk pitching staff threw three shutouts and allowed just one run twice.
In her first season at ULM, the Warhawks improved throughout the course of the season, winning two of their final three Sun Belt Conference series to claim the final spot in the 2019 SBC Championship. Once ULM arrived in San Marcos, Texas the Warhawks hit their peak, winning three games and advancing to the semifinals before having the season come to an end.Â
Fichtner made the transition to Monroe from East Carolina University, where she spent a year as an assistant coach. Before her time with the Pirates, Fichtner spent two seasons in the same role at Dartmouth College.
After her honor-filled collegiate career, Fichtner remained at Alabama as a volunteer coach while pursuing her master’s degree. After finishing her master’s degree in 2015, she played one season in the National Fastpitch (NPF) league with the Dallas Charge.
Fichtner is a 2014 graduate of Alabama, who started her collegiate career at UTSA in San Antonio, Texas, before transferring to Tuscaloosa for her final two seasons. With the Crimson Tide, Fichtner appeared in 102 games, starting in 88.
As a senior, she was named to the All-SEC Second Team after pacing the Crimson Tide with a .391 batting average in conference play while tallying 27 hits, seven doubles and 16 RBI. Fichtner threw out a conference-leading seven would-be base stealers and committed just two errors in 125 chances with no passed balls behind the dish for a .984 fielding percentage in SEC play. Fichtner helped the Crimson Tide reach the Women’s College World Series as Alabama advanced all the way to the National Championship Series.
During her time at UTSA, Fichtner was a two-time All-Southland Conference player, the 2011 Southland Freshman of the Year and 2012 Southland’s Student-Athlete of the year.
During her years as an assistant coach at ECU and Dartmouth, Fichtner became familiar with the responsibilities required to run an efficient and successful softball program. She oversaw all administrative management duties for each program, in addition to her on-field and team responsibilities.
Fichtner shares her immense awareness of the game with her student-athletes, assisting with drills, studying film, and further growing her knowledge through statistical research and data collection. She has coached and counseled players in all positions, specializing in outfield skills, catching and hitting.
Fichtner has built a repertoire of experience in breaking down film, preparing scouting reports and practice plans, and preparing student-athletes for both the physical and mental aspects of the game.
Fichtner received her Master of Science degree in sports management from the University of Alabama in May 2015, only one year after earning a bachelor’s degree in human environmental sciences.
