This time last season, Shanon Hays was getting ready to defend a national championship.

This year, not so much.

Hays left Lubbock Christian after amassing a 114-16 record in two seasons along with a 2008 NAIA national title. He now takes over a Texas Tech softball program that went 15-42 last season under interim head coach Amy Suiter.

Hays

After building LCU into a successful program, Hays will face some of the same challenges at Tech.

“This year for me feels like my first year at Lubbock Christian,” said Hays, who won back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Awards. “The biggest challenge is to build a winning reputation, an expectation to win, and convincing our girls that we have what it takes to compete in the Big 12.”

Helping Hays make his transition a little easier will be the two returning seniors, infielder Leah Legler, and pitcher Ashley Jacobs.
Legler started every game the last two seasons and has a lifetime .319 batting average, which ranks fourth all-time for Tech.

Jacobs takes over as ace of staff after Alex Watkins graduated after the 2009 season. She went 9-18 last season with a 4.35 earned run average.

Returning sophomores Emily Bledsoe and Stephanie Drewry will also lighten Hays’ transition into the NCAA. Bledsoe started all 57 games last season and will provide a spark at third base.

Drewry, who will play mostly left field, finished second on the team last year with a .339 average just behind graduated senior Elizabeth Eimen’s .354.

“I was very impressed with these girls when I first came in,” Hays said. “They had some pitching injuries last year, which greatly changed the outcome of a bunch of their games, but they were hungry to come in and get started.

“I think them seeing my background of being a part of winning programs, hopefully they think I can bring that here, too.”

Legler, who had 13 multi-hit games in 2009, leads the list of players who feel more relaxed playing for Hays.

“He is really up front with his expectations,” Legler said, “and he simplifies the game in a way that is really beneficial to his players.”
Hays knows the reputation for good recruiting and building programs precedes him, but also knows he cannot do it by himself.

“One thing I do bring is experience of building winning programs. I’ve always come into a situation that wasn’t very successful, but I have been fortunate to have good players that help us turn things around.”

With renovations to Rocky Johnson field, and the addition of the new softball facility, Tech looks to improve on its subpar 2009, as well as show off the new digs.

Tech will travel to Tempe, Ariz., Friday to partake in the Kajikawa Classic, but will return to host its own tournament Feb. 19-21 with Maine and University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Tech will have 19 of its first 32 games at Rocky Johnson field before starting Big 12 Conference play.

Hays hopes the heavy home schedule will give his team a boost before heading into conference.

“Well its great for your momentum if you win. One of the things (Athletic Director Gerald Myers) wanted when he brought me in was have a bigger home schedule,” said Hays, who returns to Tech after being an assistant men’s basketball coach for two seasons, 2000-2001. “If you win them, you have momentum, if you don’t, then you don’t.”

Now with a head coach and a coaching staff used to winning, the plays think they can relax and just play softball.

“I think last year it was just a tough situation for our previous coaches,” said Bledsoe. “They did a great job with what was on their plates, but it’s a completely different atmosphere with this coaching staff. They are very laid back but insistent when they need to be. They give us the leeway to just go have fun and play.”

Even though Tech hasn’t seen an opponent yet this season, the goals and expectations coming in are positive.

“I think the lessons learned from previous years is that you have to win half your games to get into postseason,” said Legler. “So that’s our priority, to get into postseason however we have to do that. We have to win the games that we’re supposed to win.”

Hays coaching resume
-2010: Head coach, Texas Tech Softball
-2008-09: Head coach, LCU Softball
-2005-06: Associated men’s head basketball coach, University of Houston
-2003-04: Head basketball coach, Midland College
-2002-03: Director of athletics, Abilene Christian University
-2000-01: Assistant coach, Tech men’s basketball
-1996-99: Head basketball coach, ACU

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