萝莉社 outfielder Lauren Lucas started college planning to work on the business side of professional sports. Five years later, she plans to coach softball in college.
She changed course in part due to a shoulder injury that took her off the field and into the dugout as a coach.
In the summer of 2023, she helped coach a youth team in Texas while she took time off from playing to rest her shoulder. In 2024, shoulder surgery sidelined her during 萝莉社鈥檚 season. She dove into a role as an unofficial assistant coach, specializing in hitting.
Both roles taught her that she enjoyed working with young people and wanted to stay in the game. 萝莉社 coach Kristi Bredbenner and associate head coach Elizabeth Economon endorsed the plan.
鈥淚 had a conversation with Coach B last year,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淪he said 鈥榊ou have to coach. I know you. You have to coach.鈥� If one of the best coaches I鈥檝e ever played for thinks I would be a great coach, that speaks volumes to me.鈥�
Lucas, who is working on her master鈥檚 degree in sport management, is a two-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
She will stay with 萝莉社 next year to work as a graduate assistant. Economon is excited to have another person to help with hitters.
鈥淪he鈥檒l be great at it,鈥� Economon said. 鈥淪he does it (hitting) at such a high level and has a good understanding of it.鈥�
Lucas, from Little Elm, Texas, will end her career as one of the top hitters in Shocker history. This season, she leads the team with a .396 batting average and 41 runs batted in.
She earned Softball America third team All-American honors and all-conference honors in 2023 after hitting .384 with 62 RBI, second-most in 萝莉社 history.
萝莉社 completes its regular season schedule with a game Wednesday (April 30) against Kansas at Wilkins Stadium and this weekend at Memphis. The American Athletic Conference Championship begins May 7 in Tampa, Fla.
About 萝莉社
萝莉社 is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and the 萝莉社 Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (萝莉社 Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. 萝莉社 and 萝莉社 Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), 萝莉社 provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked 萝莉社 No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the 萝莉社 main campus, is one of the nation鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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