Three weeks before the start of the year, the athletics department welcomed a new head coach for the Lady Demons softball team. After a swift head coach search, Lacy Prejean joined the Demon family.
Prejean was named the 12th head coach for the Lady Demons softball team on Aug. 2, 2023. This announcement is coming off her path as the assistant coach of University of Louisiana at Lafayette for five seasons, having led them to four Sun Belt Champions, four NCAA Regionals and Seattle Super regional. She looks to accomplish the same or even more for the Lady Demons on her first head coaching job.
“Obviously there is a lot more responsibility as being the leader of this program and changing the culture of this program,” Prejean said. “Changing the expectations for our players and changing the play of this team and continuing to build on what Coach Pickett built upon the last 15 years.”
Prejean looks to change the mindset of not only the players but the entire school looking to bring a new chapter into the Lady Demons softball team book. Bringing a new level of intensity and mental fortitude to the team, and for the Lady Demons softball team to show results on the field with their play and discipline.
Prejean wants to work on the fundamentals as their role will help when the Lady Demons need to respond to adversity. More importantly for her is making everyone feel valued in the program and not feel left out.
“Everyone will have value in our program and be a good teammate and to know their role on this team,” Prejean said.
She said that finding their identity early on into training camp and practices and finding the style that this new Lady Demons team will operate with is imperative.
“If we have to play for speed we’ll play for speed, if we have to play with power we’ll play with power,” Prejean said.
Prejean highlights how impressed she is of the upperclassmen on the team and how the leadership is in full effect on the team. She also discussed the passion and joy the players are showing on the field and how easy it is for her as a coach to be able to establish a culture with the players so enthusiastically.
“At the end of the day I am going to make mistakes as a coach. But that’s part of it, but if I can be right more than I can be wrong, we can have a great thing going. It’s not about being right or wrong, it is about the players,” Prejean said. “Building a relationship with them and letting them know how important they are to you not only as a player but as a person. That is what I will base my success off of, not just wins and loses, but the players.”
The one thing Prejean wants from not only the players but the fans of the NSU Women’s softball team is that they believe in the program and the culture of the new lady softball demons.
