Wheaton College Athletics

Paul Petricca rejoined the Thunder coaching staff for the 2019 season following a two-year hiatus. Petricca served as the hitting coach at Benedictine University for the 2018 season. He previously spent three years on staff with the Thunder, serving as an assistant coach from 2015-17. The 2020 season will be his fifth on staff at Wheaton.

2016 was Paul Petricca’s second season as the hitting coach for the Wheaton College Softball Team. The Thunder broke several school offensive records the team had set the year before, and led the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) in nearly every category.  Eight Thunder players were CCIW All-Conference selections, two were named to the All-Region Team, and Katie Thornton repeated as an All-American for her achievements on the pitcher's mound and in the batter's box.
 
In 2015, the Thunder set several all-time team and individual single-season school hitting records, including home runs and doubles. Six Thunder players were named to the All-Conference team by the CCIW, two players received All-Region honors and one player was named an All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). The CCIW also recognized the Wheaton coaching staff, led by Katie East, as the Coaching Staff of the Year.

Petricca has coached softball and baseball for over 25 years, with a specialization in hitting. Over this period, he has worked with many elite high school and college hitters. He has also published several hitting-related articles that range from the presentation of technical hitting theory to practical topics for coaches, players, and parents. Currently, he writes a hitting blog for softball and baseball players at http://torque-hitting.com/.

Petricca is currently the president of Torque Consulting, a corporate training firm, specializing in client relationship management workshops and seminars. He has a B.S. from Illinois State University and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago.  He lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois with his wife Tammy and has three children.