MARSHALL, Texas – It has been a banner year for East Texas Baptist University softball as they receive another accolade being voted the ATEC/National Fastpitch Coaching Association (NFCA) National Coaching Staff of the Year. This is the second time that Head Coach
Janae Shirley's staff has earned the award also receiving it in 2010.
Shirley, Associate Head Coach
Bill Galloway, assistant coaches
Jeanette Galvan and
Guy Shirley, and graduate assistant
Hannah Garcia all earn the award for the 2024 season. Shirley, Galloway and
Guy Shirley were on staff in 2010 when they also won the award.
ETBU won a program best 48 games winning the program's national championship producing a record 23-straight wins during the season. They won the American Southwest regular season and tournament championship, the Marshall, Texas Regional and Super Regional Tournament, and the NCAA Division III National Championships Tournament. The 10 NCAA Tournament wins is also a program best topping the nine wins in 2010.
The 2024 season also brought a 15-0 and 28-1 record at Bell Park at Taylor Field. ETBU now has a 41-0 regular season record at home in the past two seasons.
Shirley has now won 41 NCAA Tournament games in 15 appearances with two National Championships and Super Regional Championships with three Regional Championships.
Below is the release from the NFCA.
NFCA Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The accolades keep rolling in for national champion East Texas Baptist University, which was voted 2024 ATEC/NFCA Division III National Coaching Staff of the Year, the Association announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Under the direction of head coach
Janae Shirley, associate head coach and NFCA Hall of Famer
Bill Galloway, assistant coaches
Jeanette Galvan and
Guy Shirley, and graduate assistant
Hannah Garcia, the Tigers went 48-3 and finished the season ranked No. 1 in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The Tigers defeated Belhaven twice to close the best-of-three NCAA Division III championship series last week, after the Blazers had dealt East Texas Baptist its first loss all season on its home field, 4-3, in the opening game of the series. It was also the first loss suffered
anywhere by the Tigers over a two-month span, and snapped the team's 23-game win streak.
This was the second national championship for East Texas Baptist, which also won the 2010 crown in Shirley's third season as head coach.
