VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 77
W
hat started as an attempt at
team bonding three years ago
at the Big Ten Tournament has
morphed into an important pregame
ritual for Purdue softball.
Perhaps with no one more so than
Lilly Fecho.
The uniform already is on, the hair
already is braided just-so and pulled
up into a bun, and then — only
then — does former teammate and
current volunteer coach Ashley Bur-
khardt step in with the eye black.
The application takes only min-
utes, a thick stripe on each cheek
that's pulled into two lines that wrap
around Fecho's cheek bone, but the
process is crucial.
It's when the transformation be-
gins.
Fecho shifts from a giggly, fun-lov-
ing college kid into an intimidating,
fierce presence. The eye black really
is only the finishing touch. Even with-
out it, Fecho is a specimen: A 6-foot-
Unleash
The Beast
Fireballer Fecho presents intimidating presence
77 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED
2 left-handed pitcher whose fastest
pitches reach into the mid-60s — the
equivalent of a 91 mph pitch in base-
ball — and her second-best pitch is
a devastating change-up that leaves
batters oftentimes looking foolish.
"That sets the tone," Fecho said.
"Now we're ready to go. Now, the
competitor comes out."
BY STACY CLARDIE
SClardie@GoldandBlack.com
Tom Campbell
When coach Kim Schuette first ar-
rived at Purdue, she thought pitcher
Lilly Fecho lacked confidence.
That's not the case anymore for
Fecho, who's emerged into a domi-
nant pitcher and could leave as the
school's all-time strikeout leader.
