Oct. 24, 2006

By Jacob Rinehart, LCU Sports Information

LUBBOCK, Texas - Dr. L. Ken Jones, president of Lubbock Christian University (Texas), announced in a press conference today that Lubbock Christian will be adding women's softball to its athletic program.  Shanon Hays has been appointed to head up the program.

The student athletes will report to LCU in the fall of 2007.  In the spring of 2008, LCU will immediately be eligible to compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference, one of the premier softball leagues in the nation.  Since 1993, the SAC has won seven NAIA National Championships in softball, and this past season, both Oklahoma City University and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (Okla.) finished the season in the NAIA Top 10.

"Women's softball is a growing sport.  We are excited about brining it to Lubbock Christian," Dr. Jones stated, "LCU is especially excited about the leadership already being shown by Shanon Hays." 

Hays is new to the staff of Lubbock Christian, but not a stranger to the school.  He was a letterman on the 1987 baseball and basketball teams at LCU before transferring to Texas Tech University where he played baseball.  He is a 1991 graduate of LCU with a bachelor's degree in history.  Hays is returning to his hometown of Lubbock from the University of Houston, where he served as the associate head men's basketball coach for the past two years. 

Through his high school and college athletic experiences, along with his 15 year coaching career, he has cultivated his passion for coaching intercollegiate sports at various higher education institutions that has gained him extensive experience and expertise.  This background is what made him the prime candidate to lead this new initiative for LCU. 

"It's exciting to have an opportunity to lead the way in starting a new program at a growing and vibrant place like LCU," stated Hays, "My wife and I feel very blessed to have our family back home in Lubbock  and to be back at the university where we both graduated.   Lubbock Christian is a special place with great people."

Prior to serving at the University of Houston, Hays was at Midland College (Texas) for one year as the head men's basketball coach.  When he was selected as the head coach for Midland, Hays was serving as the director of athletics for Abilene Christian University, a position he took in 2002 after a brief time of working for Pharmacia Corp. as a salesman in the Lubbock area. 

Hays originally joined the ACU coaching staff in 1996 as the head men's basketball coach coming from Frank Phillips College in Borger where he spent one season.  He left ACU in July 1999 to join James Dickey's coaching staff at Texas Tech. He spent two seasons as an assistant for the Red Raiders.

Prior to coaching on the collegiate level, Hays was the head basketball and head baseball coach at Lubbock Christian High School.  In 1992-93 he was the head coach at Sundown High School.  In 1991-92 he was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech.

Although his collegiate coaching experience is primarily in men's basketball, he has an understanding of college athletics and has had successful records with all the collegiate teams he has coached including personal honors such as "Coach of the Year" for WJCAC, Region V, and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.
Hays has already begun the recruiting process and has received several verbal commitments from players who wish to don the Lady Chap uniform.  Though formal plans are still in the finalization process, Lady Chap softball will play its home games at a facility yet to be built on the south end of the LCU campus.

"I am confident that now is a great time to bring in a sport that is booming in the Lubbock area and throughout  West Texas," said Hays, "I appreciate the vision that Dr. Jones has in the growth of LCU and in preparing the university to educate and serve more and more students.  Adding women's softball is one more step that the university is taking to do just that.  I am thankful that I can be a part of it all."

With the addition of women's softball, Lubbock Christian has added five athletic programs since 2003-2004 and now competes in a total of nine intercollegiate sports: five women (softball, basketball, cross country, golf, and volleyball) and four men (baseball, basketball, cross country, and golf). 

Lubbock Christian is a private four-year school with an enrollment of 2,000 students that offers programs for 34 bachelor's degrees and 10 master's degrees.  For 50 years, the school has offered academic excellence in a Christian environment.  For more information about Lubbock Christian University visit their website at www.lcu.edu or the LCU athletics website at www.lcuchaps.com.