CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern head softball coach Christi Musser announced the addition of Ashley Ercolano to the Buccaneer coaching staff on Monday morning.

"I am excited to welcome Ashley to Charleston Southern University as our new assistant coach," Musser said. "She has a great energy and strong passion for the game of softball. Her background as a player at San Diego State University and coaching experience at UCCS makes her a great fit for the program. I am looking forward to next season and working with Ashley as we move CSU to a consistent Big South contender."

Ercolano will assume primary pitching coach responsibilities and help with the day-to-day operations of the Charleston Southern softball program. She comes to the Bucs by way of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and California State University San Marcos.

"I would like to thank Christi Musser and Jeff Barber for this amazing opportunity to work at CSU," Ercolano said. "I believe in the vision that Coach Musser has for this program and I am so excited to be part of this journey! I am so blessed to work at a place with great values and big goals. I am excited to get to work! GO BUCS!"

Ercolano spent the past three seasons as a graduate assistant coach for UCCS working with the pitching staff of the Mountain Lions. During her time at UCCS, she assisted the head coach in recruiting potential athletes, practice plans, and creating lineups, while also working actively in scouting, player development, and game day protocols.

She called pitches for UCCS and developed the pitching staff on their way to earning multiple "Pitcher of the Week" awards while defeating top-ranked opposition.

Prior to her time at Colorado Springs, she served as the pitching coach at Cal State San Marcos from 2017-2018. She put together the practice plans for the pitching staff, called pitches, and led mental and physical training programs for the staff.

Ercolano has extensive experience as a pitching coach and has coached at the travel ball level throughout her professional career. She has also spent time working as a Behavioral Therapist and has served in a number of mentoring programs during her collegiate playing career and at the post-graduate level.

Ercolano started her collegiate career at the University of California, Riverside in 2013 and 2014, before transferring and closing out her career in 2016 and 2017 at San Diego State University. Over her career, she appeared in 70 games inside the circle, while adding 13 home runs and 56 RBI at the plate.

In the classroom, she was a member of the Deans List and Academic Athletic Honor Roll from 2014-2017. She was a two-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and was named to the 2016-17 Mountain West All-Academic Team.  She garnered National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for her senior season.

Ercolano graduated from San Diego State in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She added her master's degree in communication in May 2021.