Jan. 6, 2005

Memphis, Tenn. - University of Memphis Director of Athletics R.C. Johnson announced today that Windy Thees has been named head coach of the new intercollegiate softball program at the university, which will begin competition in the 2006 season in Conference USA. Thees will begin coaching duties at Memphis immediately and start the process of building a new program by recruiting student-athletes this spring that will make up the inaugural team.

"We are very pleased that Coach Thees has accepted the head softball coach position at the University of Memphis", said Athletic Director R.C. Johnson. "We have never offered softball as one of our NCAA sanctioned sports and realize that this will be a major undertaking for the first few years."

Thees comes to Memphis from Georgia College & State University where she has been the head softball coach and SWA since the fall of 1999. She led the Division II school, located in Milledgeville, Ga., to a runner-up finish in the 2003 Division II National Championship. Her teams have set nearly every pitching, defensive, and offensive records at GCSU during her five years as head coach, and in doing so, helped Thees compile a record of 163-92 (.639). During the aforementioned 2003 season, she was named the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year, the South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, as well as the Georgia Collegiate Coach of the Year. Thees' student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom as her team has had above a 3.0 grade point average in each semester during her last four years at GCSU with nearly a 100% graduation rate. Following her team's 2003 season, Thees was selected as a member of the coaching staff of the Russian National Softball team and helped lead the team to a Silver Medal in the European Championships, the highest-ever finish for Russia in an international softball event.

Prior to her tenure at GCSU, Thees served as an assistant softball coach and wellness coordinator at Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla. from 1998-99. LCCC was ranked #1 in the national poll during both the 1998 and 1999 seasons and placed second at the JUCO National Championships in 1999.

Thees was a four-year starter at both catcher and second base at Florida State from 1993-97. She helped lead the Seminoles to three ACC Championships andmade the All-ACC Tournament team twice, including once as a freshman. Thees was voted the most inspirational player twice and served as a team captain her senior year in 1997. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Multinational Business from FSU in 1997 and also holds her Master's Degree in Business Administration from GCSU, which she earned in 2002.

"We realize that building a program from the ground up is an exciting challenge and think that Coach Thees is the right person to take on this responsibility," said Johnson. "Her background and winning record as the head coach at Georgia College & State University indicates that she is one of the top young coaches in the country and we are extremely excited to have her on staff at Memphis."

"I would like to thank Associate Athletic Director Lynn Parkes and the entire search committee for their diligent and tireless efforts in finding us such a qualified head coach," Johnson added.

Conference USA will have nine schools that sponsor softball in 2005-06, including Southern Miss, Houston, East Carolina, UAB, Marshall, UCF, Tulsa, UTEP, and Memphis.