RICHARDSON, Texas  – The University of Texas at Dallas has announced Cassie Crabtree, an assistant coach from UT Tyler who has had four years of head coaching experience at the high school level, as its softball head coach. The appointment was announced by UT Dallas Athletic Director Chris Gage.

“Cassie’s experience as both a coach and a player complements her passion for building our softball program back to a high level,” Gage said. “I believe she will provide significant leadership in moving our program forward.”

Crabtree, a native of Forney, Texas, begins her duties June 30. She becomes the third head coach for a UT Dallas softball program that has finished just 49-105 over the past four seasons and won just 17 of 96 conference games.

In 2010, she helped guide the UT Tyler softball team to an American Southwest Conference East Division title, a 38-9 overall record, an NCAA national tournament berth and a Top 10 finish in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) national poll. As UT Tyler’s pitching coach, Crabtree helped mold a staff that finished with a 1.96 team earned run average (ERA) last season, and included the ASC East Division Pitcher of the Year in Stacy Shepherd.

Prior to her stint at UT Tyler, Crabtree was a three-time coach of the year at Forney High School (2006-09), where she also taught health and physical education. Her Forney squads were crowned district champions in each of her three seasons as head coach, posting a combined record of 110-24. Before coaching at Forney, Crabtree helmed the varsity softball team at Kaufman High School for one season.

Crabtree, a former pitcher at Southern Arkansas University, will team with current UT Dallas assistant coach Rone Robinson, whose acumen on offense resulted in an impressive team batting average of .318 with the 2010 Comet

“Cassie’s expertise in pitcher development and defense will be an asset to the program, and will allow Rone Robinson to concentrate on offensive and hitting skills,” said Gage. “Cassie has demonstrated her teaching and coaching abilities at various levels and will bring the same energy and excitement to the Comets.”

Crabtree will also serve as the staff facilitator for UT Dallas’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative. As a student-athlete at Southern Arkansas, she was the school’s SAAC president and a consistent Dean’s List honoree. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health, kinesiology and recreation in 2005 and is currently completing work on a master’s degree with an emphasis on coaching through an NFCA-sponsored program at Texas Woman’s University.

“I am very honored and excited to be named the next head softball coach at The University of Texas at Dallas,” Crabtree stated. “It is a great opportunity and challenge, and one that I am extremely excited to begin. The opportunity to lead a program that has the resources and potential to be a national softball contender is a dream come true.”

-Courtesy University of Texas at Dallas Sports Information Department