East Texas Baptist University Women's Softball

Coach Shirley Accomplishments ETBU Alumnus (2005) 2008 - present All-Time ETBU Wins Leaders (596) 2010, 2024 National Champions 2010, 2024 NFCA National Coach of the Year 2014, 2024 NCAA Super Regional Championship 23 NFCA All-Americans 14 NCAA Tournament Appearances 10 CSC Academic All-Americans 7 ASC Championships 4 NCAA Regional Championships 3 ASC Female Athlete of the Year 3 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament Appearances (2010, 2014, 2024) 2 West Region "Coaching Staff of the Year" 2 Top 9 Finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year 2 Super Regional Championships 1 ASC Woman of the Year 1 ASC East Divisional Championship 1 NFCA Golden Glove Winner 1 NFCA Softball National Player of the Year 1 Honda/Collegiate Woman Sports Award D3 Player of the Year NFCA Top 25 Program #1 Final Ranking - 2024, 2020 (CoVID-19 Season/15-0), 2010 Janae Shirley enters her 18th season at East Texas Baptist University and has led the program to national heights winning two NCAA Division III National Championships (2024, 2010) and claiming the three #1 final rankings. She has guided ETBU to 14 NCAA Division III Tournaments and three national championship tournaments, winning seven American Southwest Conference championships, and two Super Regional Championships (2024, 2014). In December 2016, she took her team on an international mission trips to Costa Rica in the inaugural Tiger Athletic Mission Experience and to Australia in December 2022. ETBU served and witnessed to the people at both places and played the Costa Rican national team, twice. 2024 Season NCAA National Champions (2nd for the program) ASC Tournament Champions (11th for hte program) NCAA Super Regional and Regional Champions Won program best 48 games Set new program record with a 23-game winning streak (Apr. 6 - June 2) Went 29-1 at home going 15-0 in the regular season NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year ASC Coaching Staff of the Year Tristen Maddox was the ASC Female Athlete of the Year, ASC Player of the Year, and NFCA National Player of the Year Tristen Maddox was voted the Honda/CWSA D3 National Player of the Year Tristen Maddox (1st), Hannah Benavides (3rd), Haylie Stum (3rd), and Courtney White (3rd) were NFCA All-Americans Mary Frances Ellis, Hannah Benavides, and Delanie Loya were CSC Academic All-Americans Mary Frances Ellis was the ASC Softball Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Hannah Benavides was the ASC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year Haylie Stum was the ASC Freshman of the Year 25 players were named ASC All-Academic 17 players were named NFCA Scholar-Athletes 11 players were named All-ASC with 9 on the ASC First Team 6 players were named NFCA All-Region 2023 Season ASC Tournament Champions (11th for the program) NCAA Division III Regional Tournament Host Finish 27-0 at home in regular season Pitchers had a 29-inning scoreless streak from March 27-April 11 Ashley Croft was named the ASC Woman of the Year and ASC Pitcher of the Year Ashley Croft was the ASC's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee Ashley Croft was named then NCAA DIII Commissioner's Association Region 10 Female Athlete of the Year Tristen Maddox was the ASC Female Athlete of the Year and ASC Player of the Year Ashley Croft and Mary Frances Ellis were CSC Academic All-Americans Tristen Maddox (1st), Courtney White (1st), and Ashley Croft (3rd) were NFCA All-Americans 10 Players named NFCA Scholar Student-Athletes 15 Players were named ASC All-Academic 10 Players earned All-ASC Awards, 6 are All-ASC first-team 7 Players were named NFCA All-Region Finished the season #16 in the final NFCA National Poll 2022 Season NCAA Division III Regional Tournament Host (Marshall, Texas Regional) Finished the season at 33-12 and went 24-6 in the ASC Preseason #4 team in the nation Courtney White was the ASC Newcomer of the Year White, Tristen Maddox, and Delanie Loya earned NFCA All-American honors 6 players were named All-Region Marin Musicant were CSC Academic All-District selections 11 players earn All-ASC awards; 7 All-ASC first-team Finished the season #7 in final NFCA National Poll 2021 Season ASC Tournament Champions (10th for the program) NCAA Division III Regional Tournament Host (Marshall, Texas Regional) Finished the season at 33-7 and went 22-5 in the ASC Started the season with a 12-game winning streak producing 27 straight wins dating back to the 2020 season Preseason #1 team in the nation Won program's 10th ASC Tournament Championship Hannah Garcia was the ASC Player of the Year Tauryn Cummings was the ASC Freshman of the Year Garcia and Cummings earned NFCA All-American honors 6 players were named All-Region Garcia, Presyle Cox, and Dani Solis were CSC Academic All-District selections 11 players earn All-ASC awards; 5 All-ASC first-team Finished the season #10 in final NFCA National Poll 2020 Season Top ranked program in NCAA Division III in final NFCA ranking Season shortened ending in early March due to COVID-19 Won the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Arizona going 4-0 Preslye Cox named to the Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team Dani Solis earned two ASC Hitter of the Week awards and was the NFCA National Hitter of the Week Finished 15-0 and 6-0 in ASC 2019 Season ASC Tournament Champions (9th for the program) NCAA Division III Regional Tournament Host ASC Coaching Staff of the Year Finished the season at 39-6 and went 26-1 in the ASC Started the season with a 20-game winning streak for a new program record Ranked as high as #2 in the nation Won program's 9th ASC Tournament Championship Hosted the NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas, Regional Beatriz Lara was named the ASC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year and Tournament MVP Beatriz Lara earned NFCA and FPN All-American honors 4 players were named All-Region Mackenzie Anderson was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection 8 players earn All-ASC awards; 3 All-ASC first-team 2018 Season Selected to compete in their sixth straight NCAA Regional Tournament Finished the season at 33-13 Shutout LETU in the regular season three-game series Defeated #8 ranked Trine University 3-2 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic Defeated Concordia 6-1 in the ASC Tournament elimination game Had 8 players named to the All-ASC Team Morgan Arst, Jordan Anderson, Mackenzie Anderson and Linzie Lewis were all named to the All-ASC First Team 2017 Season NCAA Division III Marshall Regional Champions NCAA Division III Super Regional participant Finished ranked 9th in final NFCA National Poll Started season off 14-0 Won 30 or more games for 5th straight year with 38 wins Defeated Whitworth to win the regional championship in Marshall Jayme Perez and Linzie Lewis were named NFCA All-Americans Lindsey Vasquez broke the ETBU single season and career record for steals Perez earns CoSIDA Academic All-American award 5 players named NFCA All-West Region 7 players given All-ASC awards Went 38-11 overall and 25-5 in the ASC Ranked for 65 straight weeks in NFCA National Poll 2016 Season ASC Tournament Champions (8th overall for program) NCAA Tournament Participant Finished ranked 6th in final NFCA National Poll Upset #1 Texas Tyler, twice, 6-1, and, 2-0, to win the ASC championship Ranked 51 straight weeks Kelly Jo McLendon named the ASC Tournament MVP Jayme Perez and Lacey Lindsey were named NFCA All-Americans 6 players named NFCA All-West Region 8 players given All-ASC awards Went 35-10 and 24-5 in the ASC NCAA Tournaments (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) ETBU has made 14 NCAA Tournaments under Shirley and played in the last 11 tournaments winning the 2010 and 2024 NCAA Division III national championships, 2024 and 2014 Marshall Super Regional Championship, 2024 and 2017 Marshall Regional Championships, 2014 Tyler Regional Championship, and the 2010 Regional Championship in Louisiana. She has won 41 games in the NCAA Tournament and been to the three NCAA National Championship Tournaments (2024, 2014, 2010). 2024 National Champions It was a championship for the ages as ETBU made history winning the national championship on their home field. They became the first program in modern day history to claim a NCAA Division III National Championship on their home field. The post-season run to the championship started with three wins in the Regional Tournament starting with a 10-0 (5) win over Simmons University. That followed with two wins over #9 Texas Lutheran, 12-0, on Friday and a 5-3 championship win on Saturday. Hosting the the Super Regional, ETBU swept Williams College, 8-0 (5), and 10-9. Avery Holland threw a no-hitter in game one and ETBU scored nine runs in the sixth inning of game two for the one-run Super Regional Championship win. Staying in Marshall, Texas, for the National Championship Tournament, ETBU opened with a 7-0 win over #13 Rowan. On Friday night, in front of 1,000 fans, ETBU held off #10 Belhaven, 3-2, staying in the winner's bracket. After weather day, ETBU defeated Rowan, 5-2, advancing to the Championship Series facing off against Belhaven University. Headed into the Tuesday night game, ETBU had won 23-straight games, but the streak ended as the Blazers held off an ETBU rally, 4-3. On the final day, ETBU won both games, 8-2, and 9-5, to claim the national championship. ETBU took a 3-0 lead after four innings and then a Madalyn Melton home run in the fifth made ti 8-1. Melton went on to also earn the win in the game. The final game opened up with four runs in the bottom of the first inning propelled by back-to-back home runs from Haylie Stum and Tauryn Cummings. After three innings, ETBU had a 7-5 lead but two more runs came in the sixth for the 9-5 win. Holland won her 16th game of the year for the relief win as ETBU celebrated a national championship on their home field. Tristen Maddox was named the Tournament MVP as Cummings, Izabella Morales, and Holland were on the All-Tournament Team.  2017 Marshall Regional Championship ETBU hosted the NCAA Division III Marshall Regional and went 3-1 in the tournament claiming the program's third regional championship under Shirley. ETBU defeated #17 Whitworth, 6-3 to start the tournament and then the next day upset #6 Texas Dallas, 5-3, to face Whitworth agian. Whitworth took the second meeting, 3-1, to force a final championship game on Sunday as ETBU claimed the championship, 7-5. ETBU scored seven runs in the first three innings with home runs by Lacey Lindsey and Kaitlyn Hollingshead propelling them to the championship win. 2014 Super Regional Championship Making a post season run in 2014, Shirley guided ETBU to the Tyler Regional and Marshall Super Regional Championships finishing fifth at the World Series.  They were ranked in the NFCA Top 25 poll all year and were voted fourth in the final poll.  Winning 45 games, that mark set a new program record for most wins in a season along with a 20-game winning streak. The team’s most exciting games came in the NCAA Tournament as they swept through the Tyler Regional defeating Texas Lutheran twice and #3 Texas Tyler advancing to the Super Regional. Coming back to Taylor Field for the Super Regional, ETBU won two of the three games to take the series on walk-off home runs by freshmen All-Americans Jayme Perez and Lacey Lindsey. 2010 National Champions Shirley’s finest season came in 2010 with an unbelievable run through the NCAA Tournament to win ETBU’s first-ever NCAA Division III national championship.  Playing out of the loser’s bracket of the regional tournament, ETBU went on an eight-game winning streak to take the national championship.  ETBU won four straight in the regional tournament, defeating host Louisiana College two games straight, and then tore through the championship tournament going 4-0.  In the 5-4 win over Linfield for the national championship, they came from behind to pull off what became a Cinderella season with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning. ASC Tournament Championships (2011, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) 2024 Sweeping through the ASC Tournament for the program's 12th Championship, it took ETBU just three games to win it all on their home field going 3-0. The Tigers opened the tournament with an 8-2 win over LeTourneau and then won the semi-final game, 10-2, in five innings over Concordia Texas. In the championship game, Avery Holland threw a five-hit shutout, for an 8-0 championship win over Concordia Texas. Delanie Loya was 3-for-3 with two RBI and Tauryn Cummings has two hits and two RBI. Maddox was named the Most Outstanding Player as Cummings, Mallory Pyle, Loya, and Holland were ASC All-Tournament.  2023 Winning the program's 11th ASC Tournament Championship and sixth under Coach Shirley, ETBU went 3-0 in three days to capture the championship on the road at Mary Hardin-Baylor (Belton, Texas). In walk-off fashion, ETBU won the championship, 3-2, in the bottom of the eighth inning when Tauryn Cummings had a bases clearing double for the victory. The game had been tied at zero until the top of the eighth when UMHB scored two runs. Ashley Croft earned the win to move to 19-1 on the year and was named the ASC Tournament Most Outstanding Player as Cummings, Corley Carpenter, Hannah Kelley, and Courtney White were named to the ASC All-Tournament team. ETBU opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over LeTourneau and then shutout McMurry, 4-0, to advance to the championship game. 2021 Making a statement as the top team in the ASC Tournament and playing on the road in Jackson, Miss., ETBU swept through the bracket going 4-0 as the #2 seed. ETBU tied for the ASC East Division championship but lost the tiebreaker. Scoring 27 runs, ETBU won the ASC Championship game, 13-4, over the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. ETBU opened the tournament with an 8-inning victory over Sul Ross State, 4-3, on a late Thursday night game in the first round. They then shut out UMHB, 2-0, and defeated Hardin-Simmons University, 8-4, advancing to the championship game.  2019 Sweeping through the ASC Tournament bracket as the host, ETBU went 3-0 with two wins over the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 2-1. ETBU started the tournament with a no-hit win over Hardin-Simmons, 5-0, and then won their semi-final game, 2-1, over UMHB. UMHB battled back to the championship only to have ETBU claim the win, 2-1, when Dani Solis hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning. 2016 In 2016, Shirley coached ETBU to their eighth ASC Tournament championship and third in her tenure. ETBU went 3-0 in the tournament defeating #1 Texas Tyler twice, 6-1, and 2-0. McLendon pitched the best games of her career allowing just one run against Texas Tyler and six overall in three games and nine strikeouts. 2013 Winning the program’s seventh ASC Championship in 2013, ETBU swept through the bracket going 4-0 with two wins over then #1 Texas Tyler.  The final victory of the tournament to take the championship was Shirley's 200th career win.  Shelby Parker threw a perfect game for the first win over Howard Payne, 8-0, and then came from behind for a 3-1 win over #20 Texas Lutheran.  ETBU then defeated #1 Texas-Tyler, 10-9, and 6-2, for the championship. 2011 ETBU won the ASC East Division Championship in 2011 and then went 4-1 in the ASC Tournament playing through the loser’s bracket for the championship.  After falling to Texas Tyler, ETBU defeated Mississippi College, 6-1, and then won two straight games over Texas Tyler, 8-0, and 4-3. ETBU History A part of the ETBU program since 2003, Shirley started out in the program as a player and then became an assistant coach. She was a member of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 teams winning two ASC Championships and playing in two NCAA regional tournaments. She then became an assistant coach for two years in 2006 and 2007 before taking over the program in 2008.  Along with winning, her program has set high academic standards and made team discipleship a priority. The 2016-17 team will travel on their first international sports mission trip to Costa Rica in December 2016. She has had seven players voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans, seven ASC Softball Distinguished Scholar-Athletes, and numerous ASC All-Academic team members.  Both Lya Swaner and Ashton Brey have earned the ASC’s nomination for NCAA Female Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2013 while Swaner was a Top 9 Finalist. Shirley has made ETBU softball a Christ-centered program with national prominence. She is married to ETBU alumnus, Guy, who played one season of baseball at ETBU.  They have been married since the summer 2007 and have two boys, Carter (15), and Major (10). By the Years Year Record ASC Place ASC Tournament NCAA Tournament 2008 26-15 14-10 3rd (E) 1-2 NA 2009 39-9 21-3 1st (E) 2-2 2-2 (#1 seed) 2010 40-12 (1) 16-8 3rd (E) 2-2 9-1 (National Champions) % ! 2011 36-9 17-5 1st (E) 4-1 ^ 0-2 (#1 seed) 2012 25-17 14-10 t2nd (E) 2-2 NA 2013 37-12 18-6 2nd (E) 4-0 ^ 3-2 (#5 seed) (regional runners-up) 2014 45-10 29-4 2nd 4-2 (2nd) 6-3 $ % ! 2015 35-6 27-2 2nd 2-2 (2nd) 2-2 (regional runners-up) 2016 35-10 24-5 2nd 3-0 ^ 1-2 2017 38-11 25-5 2nd 2-2 3-3 % 2018 33-13 24-6 2nd 2-2 0-2 2019 39-6 26-1 1st 3-0^ 0-2 (regional host) 2020 15-0* (1) 6-0* NA* NA* NA* 2021 33-7 22-5 1st 3-0^ 3-2 (regional runners-up) 2022 33-12 24-6 2nd 2-2 1-2 (regional host) 2023  39-7 22-5 2nd 3-0^ 1-2 (regional host) 2024 48-3 (1) 22-1 1st 3-0^ 10-1 (national champions)$ % ! Total 596-159 351-82 36-19 41-28 (E) - ASC East Division  l  ! NCAA World Series l ^ ASC Tournament Champions l $ Super Regional Champions l % Regional Champions * - Season Ended Early - COVID-19 | (1) - finished as #1 team in final NFCA National Poll  Under Coach Shirley All-Americans Hannah Benavides (2024) Ashley Croft (2023) Courtney White (2022, 2023, 2024) Tristen Maddox (2022, 2023, 2024) Delaine Loya (2022) Hannah Garcia (2021) Tauryn Cummins (2021) Beatriz Lara (2019) Lacey Lindsey (2014, 2015, 2016) Jayme Perez (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) Linzie Lewis (2017) Lacy Liles (2013) Ayrika Henderson (2010) Academic All-Americans Hannah Benavides (2024) Mary Frances Ellis (2023, 2024) Ashley Croft (2023) Hannah Garcia (2021) Morgan Arst (2018) Jayme Perez (2017) Lacy Liles (2014) Lya Swaner (2013) Ashton Brey (2011, 2012) ASC Tournament MVPs Tristen Maddox (2024) Ashley Croft (2023) Marin Musicant (2021) Beatriz Lara (2019) Kelly Jo McLendon (2016) Lya Swaner (2013) Lauren McCurry (2011) ASC Female Athlete of the Year Tristen Maddox (2023, 2024) Ayrika Henderson (2010) ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Mary Frances Ellis (2024) Ashley Croft (2023) Hannah Garcia (2021) Lacy Liles (2014) Lya Swaner (2013) Ashton Brey (2011, 2012) Adrienne Meier (2010) ASC Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year Ashley Croft (2023) Morgan Arst (2020) Jayme Perez (2017) Lya Swaner (2013) Ashton Brey (2012) NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship Jayme Perez (2017) Top 9 Finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year Jayme Perez (2017) Lya Swaner (2013) JANAE SHIRLEY INTERVIEWS

Collegiate softball legend Bill Galloway enters his 22nd season at East Texas Baptist University as the associate head coach after a stellar career at the NCAA Division I ranks. The NFCA Hall of Famer recorded over 900 wins coaching at Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech. In 2015, Louisiana Tech inducted him into their athletic hall of fame for his coaching career. Shortly after retiring following a 20-year run as head coach at Louisiana Tech, Galloway joined the ETBU staff in 2003 as a part-time assistant coach. He continued to work with the program pitchers and in general off and on through the 2007 season. When that season ended, Shirley was named head coach. Her first move was to promote Galloway to a full-time top assistant coach on staff. “Coach Galloway offers so much to me as a coach and to our program as a whole,” Shirley says. “The experience and knowledge that he brings to our staff is priceless. He has a deep knowledge of pitching and also has a wealth of contacts all over the country that are a tremendous asset in our recruiting efforts. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and learn from a coach with such experience, and one that I respect so much.” Coach Galloway was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in 2001 and spent 20 years as head softball coach at Louisiana Tech. He joined the ETBU staff as a part-time pitching coach in 2003 and 2004 and then rejoined the program on a part-time basis in 2006. Galloway has a wealth of fast-pitch coaching experience at the Division I level following stints as head coach at Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M. He has a 934-421 record (.689 winning percentage) at D-I, and his Louisiana Tech teams posted at least 30 wins in a season 16 times. That includes a 52-18 mark in his first season in Ruston in 1982.  For his efforts at Louisiana Tech, he was inducted into their athletic hall of fame in the fall 2013.  The Lady Techsters made seven straight trips to the NCAA postseason under Galloway from 1983-89, including a fifth-place finish in the 1983 World Series. Overall, Tech finished with eight playoff appearances under Galloway. In his career, Galloway had 11 players selected as All-American and has 10 former players currently working as head coaches at the collegiate level. He has coached 44 Regional All-Americans, and his players graduation rate ranks in the top 20 percent of NCAA schools. In just his second season on staff at ETBU as part-time pitching coach in 2004, ETBU went 41-5 and finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation in NCAA Division III. The ETBU staff that season, with Galloway serving as pitching coach, posted a 1.34 ERA and had four players -- Mandie McConnell, Kristen Abernathy, Ashley Stout and Carrie Mills -- finish with at least seven wins. The staff also held opponents to a .213 batting average in 46 games. A 1978 graduate of Indiana University, Galloway holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Russian-Soviet Studies. He has also served in the United States Army. Coach Galloway and his wife, Liguya, moved to Marshall from Ruston, La., in 2007.

Maranda Westbrook is rejoining the softball staff as an assistant coach under Janae Shirley at East Texas Baptist University. Westbrook is an East Texas native from nearby Rusk and a former player under Shirley. Previously, Westbrook helped coach on the field at first base and also helped with recruiting. She was a part of the Marshall Regional Championship and coaching in the Super Regional in 2017. In her first season (2016), after her transition from player to coach, Westbrook helped lead the team to a 35-10 record, the ASC Tournament Champions, and an appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals in Tyler. As a player for ETBU, she was a member of the 2014 ETBU softball team that hosted and won the NCAA Super Regionals and finished in 5th place at the World Series. She was voted onto the  NCAA Regional Tournament team in 2014 and is a three-time All-ASC selection. In her career as a player, she played in three NCAA Division III Softball Tournaments, was a NCAA Super Regional Champion, and won an ASC Tournament Championship in 2013. At ETBU, she is ranked ninth in games played (181) and 10th in stolen bases (63). She graduated in 2015 with a bachelors in Kinesiology and a master's degree in 2016 from ETBU.

Guy Shirley is the husband of ETBU head coach Janae Shirley and has worked on staff since the 2008 season. A native of Marshall, Texas, Guy played college baseball as a pitcher at LSU-Shreveport before transferring to ETBU playing one season in 2001. At Marshall High School, he was an all-district selection and was selected to play in the East Texas All-Star game following a senior season under coach Jackie Lloyd that saw the Mavericks go 30-9 and finish in the Class 5A regional quarterfinals. Shirley also played in the 2000 Stan Musial World Series as a member of the Ark-La-Tex Indians. Guy is the son of C.R. Shirley and Laura Harrington. He has one brother and sister-and-law, Chuck and Marti Shirley, and also has two nieces, Madeline and Maci. He and Janae were married in the summer of 2007, and they welcomed their first child, son Carter, in October of 2009, and second son Major in December 2013.