Alyson Habetz | |
Current Title: | Head coach |
Current Team: | Louisiana |
Current Conference: | Sun Belt |
Birth Date: | December 17, 1971 |
Birth Place: | Crowley, Louisiana, U.S. |
Alma Mater: | University of Louisiana at Lafayette |
Player Years1: | 1990–1994 |
Player Team1: | Louisiana |
Player Years2: | 1995–1997 |
Player Team2: | Colorado Silver Bullets |
Player Years3: | 1998 |
Player Team3: | Long Beach Aces |
Coach Years1: | 1998–2006 |
Coach Team1: | Alabama (asst.) |
Coach Years2: | 2007–2023 |
Coach Team2: | Alabama (assoc. HC) |
Coach Years3: | 2025–present |
Coach Team3: | Louisiana |
Alyson Habetz (born December 17, 1971) is an American college softball coach who is the current head coach at Louisiana.
While in high school, Habetz spent two years fighting the state courts for the opportunity to play baseball and eventually became the first female in the state of Louisiana to play high school baseball, earning All-District honors at Notre Dame High School She also earned all-state honors as a basketball player. Habetz graduated from Notre Dame High School class of 1990 as its salutatorian.[1] [2]
She attended University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she played college basketball and college softball. In 1993, she helped the Ragin' Cajuns advance to the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history. In 1994 she earned third-team All-American honors. At the time of her graduation she was the program's seventh leading scorer in women's basketball history with 1,192 points.[3] [4]
Following her collegiate career she played professionally for the Colorado Silver Bullets as a pitcher for three years and one year for the Long Beach Aces as a first baseman and pitcher in 1998.[1]
On September 21, 1998, Habetz joined Alabama's coaching staff in the program's third year, as the first assistant coach hired by Patrick Murphy.[1] On July 11, 2007, she was promoted to associate head coach.[5] On August 25, 2023, after 25 years with the program, she announced her retirement to help care for her mother.[6] [7]
During her time at Alabama she helped guide them to six SEC regular season titles, five SEC Tournament titles, 14 Women's College World Series appearances and in 2012 the Crimson Tide won its first national championship and the first for any Southeastern Conference program.[8]
On June 25, 2024, Habetz was named the head coach at Louisiana, returning to her alma mater.[9] [10]
Habetz was inducted into the University of Louisiana's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003, the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006, Louisiana Softball Hall of Fame in 2016 and the West Alabama Softball Hall of Fame in 2019.[11] [12]