Thursday, June 19, 1997

Permian coach named head coach at HSU

By LANCE FLEMING / Abilene Reporter-News

Steve Coleman will no longer have to face the daunting task of getting a team ready to face District 4-5A's "Murderer's Row" of Cooper, Abilene High and Midland Lee.

Instead he'll have to get his Hardin-Simmons University baseball team ready to play the likes of McMurry University, Sul Ross State and Howard Payne.

Coleman, the head coach at Odessa Permian the last four seasons, was named the new head baseball coach at HSU Wednesday afternoon, replacing James King who resigned on May 19. He becomes the 22nd head coach in HSU's 65-year baseball history.

New HSU athletic director John Neese was effusive in his praise for Coleman, saying Coleman will lead the baseball program where it needs to go as HSU and the American Southwest Conference move to NCAA Division III this fall.

"I think when we look back on the history of HSU athletics, today's announcement will rank as one of the greatest in HSU baseball history," Neese said.

Coleman said that while he's looking forward winning baseball games at HSU, his No. 1 priority is to turn out quality citizens.

"Our No. 1 goal is to provide an atmosphere where the kids we bring in are going to get a great education and be a part of a positive environment," Coleman said. "Our second goal is to play a high level of baseball. We're going to win a lot of baseball games, but most importantly we're going to produce quality young men."

Coleman contacted HSU head football coach Jimmie Keeling and assistant Alan Wartes a couple of weeks ago to inquire about the job and was told it was open. He then contacted Neese and the ball began rolling from there. He was called back for a second interview last Thursday and was offered the job Monday.

This will be Coleman's first college coaching job, and he said he's anxious to get started.

"I know a lot of people have some concerns about the non-scholarship program," Coleman said. "But I think there are a lot of great players out there that don't get offers to play scholarship baseball. What we have to offer is a great place to get an education, a Christian atmosphere to live in, a great baseball facility and a place to play competitive baseball."

Coleman's seven-year high school head coaching record is 130-74-3. He's taken five teams to the playoffs. His 1993 Frenship team finished as the Class 4A runner-up.

He made the playoffs in his first two years at Permian, but missed them the last two seasons.

Coleman played on the 1981 state championship team at Lubbock Monterey. In 1983 he earned NAIA all-American honors as a third baseman at Lubbock Christian University. He hit .350 with 14 home runs and 67 RBI for the Chaparrals of head coach Larry Hays (now the head coach at Texas Tech) who won the NAIA national championship. He was inducted into the LCU Hall of Honor in 1995.

Coleman and his wife, Lisa, have two children, Chad, 14, and Brad, 11.