Northwestern State University of Louisiana Women's Softball

Paxtyn Hayes joined the NSU softball coaching staff in August of 2024. The Greenwood, Ark., native played four seasons at Pittsburg State, the final three for head coach Jenny Fuller. She finished a historic career for the Gorillas in 2024 where she earned all-American, all-region and all-conference status. She ranks in the top 10 in Gorilla softball history in career runs scored (131) home runs (40), hits (235), doubles (58) and is the program’s all-time leading in RBI with 195. Hayes drove in the fifth most runs ever in the history of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association by the end of her playing career.   “Paxtyn is a highly decorated player who played for me at Pitt State,” Jenny Fuller said. “She will build meaningful and impactful relationships with players, and help guide them to reach their goals.”   A career .350 hitter, Hayes earned the first all-American honor of her career in 2024 with a third-team spot at designated player. After first-team all-conference honors in her sophomore season, she earned the honors again as a junior and senior to become the fifth player in PSU history to earn first-team all-conference honors three times.   The slugger was also the fifth Gorilla to hit double-digit home runs in three straight seasons, launching 36 across her final three seasons. She amassed slugging percentages of greater than .600 in each of her final three seasons and OPS (on-base plus slugging) totals north of 1.000 during those years and for her career.