Alyson Habetz is back where it all started.
The UL alumna ended her 25-year stint as an Alabama assistant to retire in 2023 but steps back in the circle as the leader of her alma mater.
“It’s a dream that I didn’t know I had,” Habetz said. “God puts things in front of me that I didn’t even know could happen.”
As the youngest of eight in the Habetz family, this homecoming allows her to take UL to new heights.
However, the biggest pitch to accepting the job would be continuing to be able to take care of her mother while coaching the game that she loves.
“They’re the backbone of who I am,” Habetz said. “Everything I’m about and what I do has their fingerprints on it.”
The diamond has always been coach Aly's ministry.
At Notre Dame, she fought to become the first female in Louisiana to play high school baseball.
Habetz went on to letter as a two sport athlete at then USL. She’d become a 1,000-point scorer in basketball and earned All-American and All-Region accolades in softball.
“Alyson was always one of the hardest workers on the team,” Tara Shamsie, Alyson’s former teammate, said. “She was very passionate and loyal.”
“She was one that you can count on,” Missy Skow, Alyson’s former teammate, said. “She would motivate you. You can rely on her.”
In 1993, Habetz pushed the Ragin' Cajuns to the Women's College World Series, and that’s why those that witnessed her game believe in her leadership.
“That was a walk-off grand slam,” Shamsie said. “I don’t know that you could’ve found a better fit.”
“With Aly from Crowley here, you’re going to hear it from Crowley,” Skow said. “If there’s a time to jump on and see what Ragin’ Cajun softball is about, now is the time.”
As Habetz steps to the plate of this new journey, she’ll aim to knock things out of the park with her family at the core.
“Not only can I impact lives and do what I love with my family, I can do it with the Cajuns,” Habetz said. “That’s my heart.”
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