LUBBOCK, Texas - Former Daphne High and Jacksonville University softball standout Sarah Sigrest will join Shannon Hays’ Texas Tech softball staff as the program’s volunteer assistant coach, working with the Red Raiders’ outfielders and pitchers.

Sigrest graduated this spring after leading the Division-I JU Dolphins for four years as a starter. She was named the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year in 2011, First-team All-Conference and finished her career with the most wins in school history.

“We are really excited to have Sarah come on our staff,” Hays said. “She was a very accomplished collegiate pitcher who really impressed me when I saw her pitch a few years ago at the South Florida tournament. She has a strong desire to be a college coach at the division I level, and I’m glad she chose Texas Tech as the place to start her career.”

Sigrest took her degree in exercise science and is looking forward to her first full-time coaching experience after graduating.

“This is a huge opportunity for me and I couldn’t be more excited to get started,” she said. “Coming from a school of around 4,000 students, I feel fortunate to be able to join a university with such size and tradition like Texas Tech. After pitching against Tech a couple years ago, I was really impressed with how the coaches and players conducted themselves and it was a program that I have followed since. I ultimately decided to move across the country for this opportunity and I wouldn’t do that for just any program.”

Hays said he first noticed Sigrest as a junior in 2011 when Jacksonville and the Red Raiders met during the University of South Florida’s “The Game Tournament” in Clearwater, Fla. The right-hander held Tech to one unearned run over six innings before Cydney Allen connected on a two-out grand slam to left field that broke up a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Even though it was one of her rare losses— one of seven—the Daphne native held Tech to just six hits in the 5-1 loss to impress Hays. Sigrest wrapped up the 2011 season with a 27-7 record and led Jacksonville to its first NCAA Regional appearance in school history. Her 1.10 earned-run average ranked eighth nationally as she also set personal records for Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year, the school’s single-season records for wins, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts, opponents batting average, and innings pitched. And showing she could hit the ball as well as throw it, she also earned first team All-Atlantic Sun and second team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region honors as well.

“As far as being a successful D1 pitcher it takes a open mind above all things because you have to realize just because you were the best in high school does not mean you are not going to have to change to be the best in college,” Sigrest said. “You have to put in the work and listen to your coaches and teammates and get better every day. There is constant competition.”

At Daphne Sigrest was a starting pitcher for five varsity seasons and earned some varsity wins as a seventh grader. As a senior she led the Lady Trojans to a 6A state runner-up trophy.

She is still the Alabama High School Athletic Association all-time leader in season shutouts with 33 and season no-hitters with 14. She stands second all-time in perfect games with five in a season, 11 career and also second all-time in season strike outs at 622. She also holds top-10 status in several other pitching categories.

Sigrest said it might take time to adjust to transition from life as a player to life as a coach.

“It is a huge difference coming from being on one side of the spectrum to the opposite,” she said. “I miss playing and I know this year is going to be a challenge since I am fresh off of the field after 15 years of playing. I am so excited to help coach and learn new things, I have a great staff of coaches over here at Tech and I know I am going to learn so much from all them.”

The transition from Jacksonville to Texas Tech will also be a challenge.

“It is quite a shock coming from a small 4,000 student private D1 school to a huge 30,000 student school like Tech. I love it already and I am so ready to get started. I am so glad that the coaches decided to give me a chance and let me get some experience under them”