Mission Oak softball coach Ilissa Fachinni anchors Hawks to WYL championship

Ilissa Fachinni’s love and passion for softball is obvious.

When her playing career wrapped up at Williams Woods University in 2013, she joined the coaching ranks as a grad assistant to stay involved in the sport.

That launched her coaching career.

Fast forward a little over a decade later, the Mission Oak High School softball coach is now one of the active winningest skippers in Tulare County.

Fachinni surpassed career coaching win No. 100 late last season and has amassed an overall 126-62-3 record as of publication time.

Since taking over the head coaching duties in 2017, the Fachinni-led Hawks have won five league championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024), including an outright West Yosemite League title this season. They have now also registered six straight winning seasons.

Excluding the COVID-19-impacted 2020 campaign, Mission Oak is averaging nearly 17 victories per season.

“I try to focus on the kids rather than wins and losses,” Fachinni said. “Even though we have been pretty successful, it’s more important to get those little things right than wins and losses, which are important, too, but the success has come from off the field and in practice.”

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Carrying on the Dina Da Silva tradition

Dina Da Silva was the first softball coach in Mission Oak history.

During her run, Da Silva guided the Hawks to back-to-back Central Section Division IV championships from 2015-16 before retiring from coaching after a record-setting 23-win season in 2016.

That set the stage for Fachinni.

The 2009 Tulare Union grad took over the helm from Da Silva in 2017 and continued the tradition the latter established during her seven-year tenure.

In her first season as coach, with star pitcher Mariah Mazon at the controls, the Hawks advanced to the Central Section Division IV championship game but fell 2-0 to Selma in a rematch of the previous year’s final.

Mission Oak went 10-14 the following season — the only year under Fachinni the Hawks finished with a record below .500 — but has since gone a combined 96-41-2.

How much did Fachinni learn from Da Silva?

“A ton,” Fachinni said. “She knows how to motivate kids. When she was here, she was here more for the humanity of it, like, getting these kids ready for the real world. Obviously, she’s skilled. She played at Fresno State and we won a couple of Valley championships under her. She just has a good mind for the game, making sure kids realize what’s best for them, their strengths and putting them in the right spot.”

That standard is something Fachinni has implemented, too, as coach.

Fachinni and Mission Oak recognized Da Silva for her softball contributions before the Hawks’ 7-4 win over Tulare Western on April 25.

Now in her eighth season, Fachinni is Tulare and Visalia's longest-tenured head softball coach.

What are her favorite things about coaching?”

“People,” Fachinni said. “That’s No. 1. Everyone’s different and I like the challenge of turnover with the kids because you only have them for four years. I like to see my kids after, like when we did the ceremony for Dina, there were a lot of old players that I coached before, they all came back and supported that. The community of it, it’s very big for me, especially because we’re in Tulare and it’s a very small softball community. The people are obviously No. 1 and the coaches that are coaching with me.”

Putting her own stamp on the program

Fachinni has blended some of her own coaching philosophies with Da Silva’s standards.

That has resulted in Mission Oak annually being one of the premier softball programs in Tulare County.

Since that 14-loss season in 2018, Mission Oak has won nearly 70% of its games and posted its first 20-win campaign since the Hawks won a section plaque in 2016.

What is the recipe for success for the Hawks?

“Responsibility is a big one,” Fachinni said. “We’re big on communication. Of course, we want everyone to be on time, but if someone is running late, we want them to communicate. If something is going wrong, we want them to communicate that. Also, making sure we’re in class. Making sure our grades are up. Integrity. Being honest. I know I can tell my team, ‘Hey, we’re going to start at 4 o’clock. I need you guys to start at 4 o’clock.’ I teach in Porterville so if I’m running late or whatever, I can trust them to start or get things done even if I’m not here. That’s the biggest thing is doing the right thing when no one is looking.”

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It’s been a memorable season for Mission Oak.

Despite having just one senior on the team, the Hawks (20-6, 9-1) clinched an absolute WYL championship on May 9 with a 4-1 home win over Dinuba.

“It’s great,” Fachinni said. “It’s good to see their hard work pay off because they work hard day in and day out here in practice, off days, even Saturday morning. We have practice (on) Saturdays sometimes. It’s good to see their hard work show off in wins.”

Rebekah Beasley is the lone senior on the Hawks’ 14-player roster this season.

Beasley is a four-year varsity player who has steadily improved yearly under Fachinni’s tutelage.

She had 20 hits as a freshman and has nearly doubled that total this spring with 39 hits.

Beasley is among the Hawk’s top hitters in 2024 with a .476 batting average.

What’s it like to play for coach Fachinni?

“It’s amazing, honestly,” Beasley said. “I’ve grown to love Fachinni as a coach. Our freshman year, that was COVID, so I was one of three freshmen at the time. I was still learning her coaching style but as I’ve grown here, I feel like I’ve gotten closer to her.

"I do look up to her and the coaching that she does have, it has really helped me. If I do have a problem, I’m always able to go to her and talk things out instead of, like, fearing getting yelled at. We can break things down. She understands her players just like we understand her. She talks to us differently. She puts a lot of her time, heart and effort into this school and this sport and I really appreciate that.”

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Mission Oak softball coach Ilissa Fachinni leads Hawks to WYL title