Video: My Santa Barbara with Brie Galicinao
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Career Record: 343-437
2012 Big West Conference Coach of the Year
2008 Big West Conference Co-Coach of the Year
Brie Galicinao, two-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year and the first player to earn both Ivy League Pitcher and Player of the Year in the same season, is entering her 16th season at the helm of the UC Santa Barbara softball program in 2022-23.
Galicinao earned her 300th win on May 11, 2019 and has the most 30-win seasons in program history. In 2014, the Gauchos were one out away from becoming the program’s winningest team with 35 wins before ending the season tied for the most wins since the 2003 and 1982 seasons.
The program’s first major individual player accolades came under Galicinao’s tutelage as she coached the program’s first Big West Field Player of the Year (Tiffany Wright, 2008), Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year (Krista Cobb, 2009), and Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year (Shelby Wisdom, 2012). As assistant coach with the Gauchos who worked primarily with the pitching staff, Galicinao also coached the program’s first Big West Pitcher of the Year (Jennifer Davis, 2007).
63 Gauchos have earned All-Big West honors during Galicinao’s leadership. Since her first season in 2008, Galicinao's players have achieved 34 combined Big West all-academic honors and the program’s first Scholar Athlete of the Year.
In 2017, Galicinao led the Gauchos to a 31-28 (.525) record and a berth in the inaugural Postseason National Invitational Softball Championships, the program's fourth postseason appearance all-time, and first since the 2007 NCAA Tournament. With 31 wins, UCSB reached the 30-win plateau for the fifth time in Galicinao's career. During that season, UCSB’s Scholar Athlete of the Year Kristen Clark also became the first Gaucho ever to hit .400 in two different seasons. She finished with a .403 batting average, 72 hits and 41 runs, all of which ranked No. 3 all-time in program history.
Galicinao recruited and coached another one of the top players in program history with Shelby Wisdom, who ended her run as a Gaucho ranking ninth all-time with 176 hits, sixth with 100 runs, fourth with 37 doubles, 10th with five triples, second with 30 home runs, and second with 127 RBI. While an injury kept her from pitching as a senior, Wisdom also set the school record in career pitching victories with 63.
Throughout Galicinao’s career, the Gauchos have been a consistent offensive threat. In the shortened season of 2020, the Gauchos set a single game record of 24 hits, and defensively, finished with a conference high .970 fielding percentage. The Gaucho offense set the single season record of 77 doubles in 2017, as well as the single season records for team batting average (.302), hits (460), and RBIs (302) in 2016.
In 2014, Galicinao led her team to its best regular season record in program history at 34-20 (.630). Additionally, she coached freshman Kristen Clark to all-region status after she put together one of the most impressive by a Gaucho ever. In 2014, Clark set the single-season program records in hits (90) and batting average (.437) in being named the Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year. Galicinao also guided Shelby Wisdom in becoming UCSB's all-time winningest pitcher with 63 career victories. With her 22 victories in 2014, Wisdom recorded the most and second-most pitching victories in a single season, including her 24 in 2012.
In 2013, Galicinao led UCSB to its second consecutive 30-plus win season (31-24) and its fifth winning season during her tenure. Keilani Jennings also clubbed a team-high nine home runs, which catapulted her to the top of the program's all-time home runs leader list with 31.
In the spring of 2012, Galicinao led UCSB to its best league record (15-6) in program lore and its best conference finish since 2008. The Gauchos continued to battle for the conference title until the final day of Big West play, eventually finishing second. Overall, the team posted a 30-28 record, marking the fourth winning season under Galicinao and her second 30-win season. She garnered Big West Conference Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her career, becoming the first UCSB coach to twice capture the accolade. Seven Gauchos were named to All-Big West teams and freshman Shelby Wisdom became the fourth player coached by Galicinao to earn a major conference honor as she was named Freshman Field Player of the Year.
In 2011, she coached UCSB to a 27-26 overall record and finished fourth in the Big West with an 11-10 league mark. Four of her players earned All-Big West honors. The team also set school records for double plays (32) and doubles (71) and tied the record for consecutive wins (nine).
In 2010, Galicinao coached four players to All-Big West honors and two earned Academic All-Conference accolades.
During the spring of 2009, Galicinao led UCSB to its seventh-consecutive winning season and second under her tutelage. The Gauchos finished the season with a 26-25 overall record and tied for fourth in the always-competitive Big West Conference. UCSB defeated four teams that were nationally ranked, including No. 4 UCLA on Mar. 24.
Five Gauchos earned All-Big West honors, including Big West Co-Field Player of the Year, Christine Ramos, and Big West Co-Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Krista Cobb. Ramos became the second consecutive UCSB player to earn Field Player of the Year honors and Cobb became the first Freshman Pitcher of the Year in program history. Both Ramos and Cobb also earned First Team All-Pacific Region honors, marking the first time since 2003 two Gauchos have earned all-region distinction.
In 2008, Galicinao led the Gauchos to a 30-24 mark and a 13-8 Big West record, their best conference mark since 2004 when the squad went 14-7. UCSB finished second in the competitive league behind Long Beach State. For her leadership, Galicinao was named Big West Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Long Beach's Kim Sowder.
The 2008 Gauchos had arguably one of the best seasons offensively in program history. Santa Barbara set team records for single season batting average (.291), runs (243), hits (425), home runs (38), total bases (625) and RBI (216). The Gauchos also led the Big West in all of those categories, as well as slugging percentage (.428) and on-base percentage (.357). Nationally, UCSB ranked in the top-50 for batting average, triples per game (0.22) and slugging percentage. Not just a power offensively, the Gaucho defense led the conference with its .967 fielding percentage and ranked 57th nationally.
Galicinao also coached Tiffany Wright to Big West Field Player of the Year honors, the first field player of the year in program history. Additionally, six other Gauchos received All-Big West honors and Tisha Duran set single season records for home runs (13) and RBIs (55). Off the field, four of her players earned Academic All-Big West honors and Ericka Hansen was named to Academic All-District 8 First Team.
Prior to being named head coach in June 2007, Galicinao spent two seasons as an assistant with the UCSB program. Galicinao worked with the bullpen and helped lead the Gauchos to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2007, Jennifer Davis, one of her pitchers, was named the program's first-ever Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year while the Gaucho pitching staff led the conference with the lowest ERA.
In addition to her on-field duties, Galicinao worked with all aspects of the program, including recruiting, fundraising, and monitoring players' academics.
Prior to coming to Santa Barbara, Galicinao served as the Director of Athletic Relations at Princeton University and as an assistant coach for the Tigers in 2003 and 2004, helping guide the team to a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Galicinao also worked as a softball camp and skills instructor for pitching and hitting and was the Assistant Director of Athletic Relations and Marketing at Princeton for over two years.
A four-year starting utility-pitcher at Princeton from 1999-2002, Galicinao finished three seasons hitting over .350 and ended with a career ERA of 1.47. She also led the team to an Ivy League Championship and the NCAA Tournament her senior year. Serving as the Tigers' captain that season, she earned a spot on the NCAA All-Region Tournament Team and NFCA All-Region Team and was honored with the C. Otto Von Kienbusch award as the university's Sportswoman of the Year.
Galicinao made history when she became the first athlete to win both Ivy League Pitcher and Player of the Year in the same year after leading the conference in several hitting categories and posting the 8th-lowest ERA in Division I during her junior year. She was also the first player to win Ivy League Pitcher of the Year twice in a career after winning the award again as a senior.
After graduating from Princeton, Galicinao played and led softball clinics in Italy before returning to work in the athletic department.
The Stockton, Calif. native earned her bachelor's degree in history from Princeton and M.A./Ph.D. in education from UC Santa Barbara. Galicinao resides in Santa Barbara.
