Photo courtesy of Ragin Cajuns athletics
Hometown hero Alyson Habetz was introduced today as UL Lafayette’s new head softball coach. Habetz had a Hall of Fame playing career as a Cajuns softball player and after a 25-year run as an assistant coach at Alabama, she’s back home at her alma mater.
“I get to do something that I’m passionate about surrounded by family and friends and people who have walked this journey with me throughout my life, right here, I mean wow!” Habetz said.
Habetz helped lead the Cajuns to the Women’s College World Series in 1993 and won a national championship in 2012 as Alabama’s associate head coach. She takes over a program that’s dominated the Sun Belt Conference but has not been to the WCWS since 2014.
“I want to win, make no mistake about that I’m competitive, I want to win, I want to win natty that’s the expectation every year, so fans just know, going in that’s my expectation without a doubt,” Habetz said.
Former head coach Gerry Glasco’s decision to leave the program for Texas Tech led to several players entering the transfer portal, including Sun Belt Player of the Year Mihyia Davis, Sun Belt newcomer of the year Brooke Ellestad, Lauren Allred and catcher Victoria Valdez. Habetz says she spoke to those players about staying at UL.
“Trying to give them something to come back to and encourage them to do that and we’ll see what happens at the end of the day, if they choose not, we’ll find athletes who want to win the jersey, they’ll fight, stay together,” Habetz said.
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