Bio

Fico Kondla ’14, ’16 was named Coker University’s next head baseball coach on June 1, 2022. 

The 2024 season marked Kondla's second season as the Cobras’ head coach. Kondla’s impact on the Cobras baseball program has been evident in just 2 years at the helm. After inheriting a team who won just 13 games in 2022, Kondla guided the Cobras to 50 wins over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including 31 in 2024. 

The Cobras finished with a record of 31-20 and a 20-10 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. The Cobras would finish 2nd in the South Atlantic Conference and host one half of the South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament. The Cobras won 7 of their 10 conference series match-ups including 3 conference series sweeps. Their 20 conference wins would be the most in program history. The 2024 win total of 31 would mark their highest since 2013 (38). 

Offensively, the Cobras would again see numerous improvements. The 2024 Cobra offense saw increases in batting average (.278), hits (437), doubles (79), and hit-by-pitches (119). They also increased their walk total (208) and lowered their strikeouts (296). The Cobras would go on to lead the SAC in stolen bases (172) and finish 6th nationally.

Coach Kondla’s 2024 club would improve significantly on the defensive side as well. After finishing 10th in the SAC with a fielding percentage of .952 in 2023, the Cobras would go on to finish 4th and increase their fielding percentage to .970. They would also lead the SAC in runners caught stealing (.452) while only allowing 23 stolen bases in 51 games. 

Hunter Poole and Jaylen Mack would go on to be named to the All-SAC Defense team. Poole finished his junior campaign with the Cobras fielding .976 with 208 total chances and only 5 errors. After playing short-stop in his first year with the Cobras, Mack would transition to catcher and field .995 while throwing out 16 of 28 baserunners (57%). 

Kondla’s first year at the helm saw his team garner a 6-win improvement from the 2022 season. His 2023 squad finished 19-30, with a record of 8-16 in South Atlantic Conference play. The win total marks the most wins in a season since 2017. This also includes wins over regionally ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University and 2023 SAC champion Newberry College. 

Statistically under Kondla, the 2023 squad improved in nearly every category including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, stolen bases, earned run average, hits allowed, walks allowed, and fielding percentage. This includes finishing 2nd in the SAC in stolen bases with 119 (their highest team mark in 8 seasons). 

Under Kondla, Kody Hanna was named Second Team All-Conference for the South Atlantic Conference. Hanna was also awarded SAC Player of the Week along with NCBWA Regional Player of the Week for the week of March 28, 2023. 

The Cobras 2023 season also brought great academic success. The team posted a GPA of 3.35 for the 2022-2023 academic year. Five members of the team were named to the 2023 Academic All-District Baseball Team, as selected by the College Sports Communicators. Seniors Zack Wall, Ethan Graham and Lawson Otte were named, while sophomores Ashby Vining and Jacob Yarberry earned the academic honor. 

Kondla returns to Hartsville after serving on the coaching staff at fellow South Atlantic Conference institution Newberry College since 2018, serving as the first base coach specializing in infield, hitting and base running. In Kondla’s time at Newberry, the Wolves posted a record of 122-50 and captured the 2019 South Atlantic Conference regular season championship, hosting a NCAA Southeast regional for the first time in program history. He also has coaching experience in the Coastal Plain League, serving as the head coach for the Lexington County Blowfish during the 2021 season and an assistant coach for the back-to-back CPL champion Morehead City Marlins in 2018-19. He also has extensive experience in the high school game, coaching at SLAM! North Charter School in Miami and Northside Christian Academy.

Kondla played his college baseball at the friendly confines of Tom J. New Field at Dave Schmotzer Stadium, serving as team captain for the Cobras for three years. During his career, he was a First Team All-Conference selection, a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-Region selection, was named to both the Conference Carolinas and Southeast Regional All-Tournament Teams and was also a finalist for the Josh Willingham Award, given to Division II baseball’s most valuable player. In February 2022, he and the rest of the 2013 baseball team that reached the Division II national championships were inducted into the Coker Athletics Hall of Fame.

Kondla holds a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science as well as a Master of Science in College Athletic Administration from Coker. 

He is married to the former Katelyn Szupello ’15, a former Coker softball player. The couple has two sons, Frederick Kondla Jr. and Luca Kondla.