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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ross-Shaw Agrees To Five-Year Contract Extension
August 17, 2004 | Softball
Aug. 17, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University has reached an agreement with Falcon softball coach Leigh Ross-Shaw on a five-year contract extension, BGSU Director of Athletics Paul Krebs has announced. The contract will run through June 30, 2009.
"The University is thrilled with the success and overall direction of the softball program under Coach Ross-Shaw and her staff," said Krebs. "Her student-athletes have had success both in the classroom and on the field.
"Coach Ross-Shaw is an outstanding individual and coach, one of the best coaches in all of collegiate softball. We are pleased to reach this agreement to keep her in the Falcon family."
The 2004 Falcons won the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time in school history, and advanced to NCAA Regional play. BGSU finished with an overall record of 34-30 on the season.
In six seasons as the Falcons' head coach, Ross-Shaw has an overall record of 171-145-2 (.541), making her the winningest coach in school history. She ranks second in BG annals in winning percentage. In MAC games only, she is the school's all-time leader in victories and winning pct., with a league mark of 86-56 (.606) through the 2004 season.
Ross-Shaw, the 2001 MAC Coach of the Year, guided the Brown and Orange to a MAC East Division title that spring after a co-championship in 2000. She was the fastest coach in BG softball annals to get to 100 overall wins as well as to 50 MAC victories, and has become the only coach in school history with three 30-win seasons.
Ross-Shaw assumed the top job at BGSU after two years as the Falcons' assistant coach. The Ottawa Lake, Mich., native came to the Falcon program in August of 1996 after serving as a high-school head coach, at Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, for four seasons.
Ross-Shaw, a 1992 graduate of the University of Toledo, still holds numerous UT and MAC records, and remains the all-time league leader in career batting average (.398), at-bats and hits. She hit a MAC-record .447 as a senior en route to All-America Second-Team honors with the Rockets.
"I am proud to be a part of BGSU," said Ross-Shaw. "This truly is a great school and community, and I am excited about our future.
"We had a memorable 2004 season, and I am thankful for the opportunity to continue building this program. I look forward to the Falcons being a perennial contender, both in the Mid-American Conference and beyond."
