Editor’s Note: The initial story referred to Kailee Cuico as a coach. She is currently a graduate team manager. 
During the fall of 2014, Kailee Cuico received some news that would change her life.
After finishing up her final season of eligibility during the spring of 2014 and leading the Ducks to the Women’s College World Series, Cuico returned to Oregon to complete one more class to earn her bachelor’s degree.
“I only came back to Oregon because I failed a class,” Cuico said. “I needed to retake that class, so I was doing that and getting ready to move on.”
During that time period, Cuico received some news from Mike White, head softball coach at Oregon. Apart from being Oregon’s career leader in homeruns (46) and RBI’s (180), Cuico is now a graduate team manager for the Ducks.
“It was a big deal when (White) asked me to be a part of the coaching staff,” Cuico said. “Coach White is someone I respect completely. He’s never really liked players to come back and do this so that meant a lot that he was asking me to do so.”
The news give Cuico a chance to help pass the time while taking the class. Little did she know that coaching was going to open doors to her future that she didn’t know existed.
“It sounds corny but I believe in fate,” Cuico said. “Then I came out here and was helping and realized that I needed to stay here and continue to be a part of this program.”
Cuico’s road from Oregon star player to professional softball player and now to team manager has been one that she never expected to happen. She credits White and the current Duck players for making that opportunity possible for her.
“This is what I want to do,” Cuico said. “Coaching has become something that I really want to do — through my teammates listening to and respecting me, it’ something that I know I want to do.”
At first she thought it was going to be weird, coaching some of her former teammates, but she soon realized that they embraced the opportunity to work with and learn from.
“It’s really awesome being able work with Kailee now as a team manager,” Cuico’s three-year teammate Janie Takeda said. “We already know she can play the game and has a lot of knowledge so learning from her has helped us improve so much.”
Cuico’s primary role on the staff has been the communicator between the coaches and players. Being just one-year removed from playing, she still understands the daily grind that takes place during the softball season and is able to openly talk with the players about it.
“Kailee’s been great for us, she really has been,” White said. “The girls really like her and respect what she has to say — having her be the go-to between us (coaches) and them (players) has been very beneficial.”
Softball is what Cuico has been about all of her life and upon leaving Oregon as a player, she wanted to make sure she had other opportunities for her to define herself.
That’s not the case anymore.
“Softball, especially coaching softball, I’ve tried to avoid as my identifier,” Cuico said. “After being out here, I’ve realized that it’s in me and that coaching is something that I really do love and want to continue with.”
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka