RSU Names Women’s Softball Coach

Rogers State University has selected Dawn Reed to coach its inaugural women’s softball program, which is expected to begin competition during the 2005-06 academic year.

Currently, Reed serves as the head softball coach at Bacone College, where she led its transition from a two-year junior college program to a nationally recognized four-year program competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Reed coached Bacone to a 110-51 record during her first three years with the program, including a 52-9 record and a No. 11 final national ranking in 2004.

A Skiatook native and former University of Tulsa standout, Reed will assume the RSU head coaching responsibilities on June 1, following the conclusion of Bacone’s season.

“Coach Reed brings impressive credentials to RSU, both in building a competitive intercollegiate softball team and producing scholar-athletes determined to excel in the classroom,” said RSU President Dr. Joe Wiley. “We’re excited to have Coach Reed join RSU as the university continues to grow and offer more opportunities for our students.”

During Reed’s tenure at Bacone, the softball program earned two Region 6 tournament bids and was ranked in the top 15 for most of the 2004 season. The program has produced three all-Americans, one academic all-American, six all-region and 14 all-conference student-athletes during the past three years.

Reed also serves as the college’s senior administrator for women’s athletics and helped supervise the construction of an on-campus softball facility.

She played third base from 1996-2000 for TU, where she was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Scholar Athlete, a Western Athletic Conference All-Conference player, and TU’s Offensive Player of the Year. She served one year as an assistant coach for the Golden Hurricane before being named the head coach at Bacone in 2001.

Reed earned a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s in business administration, both from TU.

In addition to her duties with the RSU softball program, Reed will coordinate campus programs through the RSU Wellness Center and teach selected courses.

The university fields a baseball club team that has been competing against other university teams for the past two years. The baseball club team is coached by Ron Bradley, a member of the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame who coached four high school state championship teams at Claremore, Jenks and West Fork, Ark.

In addition, RSU has a rodeo club that has competed in regional intercollegiate events since 2001.

“RSU is committed to adding and expanding programs, services and features that will attract top students and provide them with the traditional college experiences that they expect from a four-year university,” Wiley said.

For more information on RSU’s softball program, call the RSU Wellness Center at (918) 343-7787.