Alyson Habetz Promoted to Associate Head Coach
7/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? After nine years helping University of Alabama head softball coach Patrick Murphy build the Crimson Tide into a perennial College World Series contender, assistant coach Alyson Habetz has been promoted to Associate Head Coach, Murphy announced today.
“I am truly grateful to Coach Murphy, (Senior Women’s Administrator) Marie Robbins, and (Athletics Director) Mal Moore for giving me this tremendous opportunity,” Habetz said. “I am deeply humbled and extremely honored that Coach Murphy would promote me in such a way. He has molded my coaching career and I certainly couldn't ask for a better mentor. I consider it a privilege to work with him and to be surrounded by so many amazing people at this great university. I am so proud to be a part of the Crimson Tide softball family.”
Habetz, who has been on Murphy’s staff since he took the head job prior to the 1999 season, has helped lead the Tide to nine NCAA tournament appearances, including College World Series berths in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006. During that span, Alabama also captured the Southeastern Conference regular season title in 2006 and a pair of tournament crowns in 2003 and 2005.
The Tide coaching staff has been named Regional Coaching Staff of the Year three times in Habetz’ tenure, most recently in 2006. In her post as an assistant, Habetz was responsible for the outfield play and team offense while also supervising the Tide’s camps and clinics throughout the year, duties she will retain in her new post.
Habetz has also proven herself as one of the best recruiting assistant coaches in the nation, helping Murphy put together some of the best recruiting classes in the country during her tenure at the Capstone.
“I am extremely fortunate to have such a loyal friend and assistant in Alyson,” Murphy said. “Alabama softball would not be where it is today without her in the program the past nine years. She has consistently been one of the top coaches and recruiters in Division I softball during her career at Alabama, as evidenced by the amount of requests from other schools to interview her for head coaching positions. Her loyalty to our program speaks volumes about the type of person she is.”
A former All-Region and All-American softball player at Southwestern Louisiana, Habetz came to the Tide following a professional baseball career with the first women’s professional league in baseball history. Habetz also broke barriers as a high school athlete, becoming the first female baseball player in Louisiana high school history, earning the right to compete for Notre Dame high school in Crowley, La., after fighting the issue in the court system.
Last season, Habetz helped guide the Tide to a 55-10 record and a Regional championship. Alabama was eliminated in the Super Regional round by Washington and missed the College World Series for the first time since the 2004 season.
