The Texas Wesleyan Athletic Department is excited to name Katie Baugh as the new coach of the women's soccer program.

Baugh had an impressive playing career at Texas Wesleyan, including 52 starts, a SAC Commissioner's award and game-winner against Bacone College. Following her time as a player, she has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Lady Rams.

Baugh says although this was not her first career goal, she is thankful to be in this position. 

"It's very exciting," she said. "You always have the idea that you could end up coaching, but I never thought this would be the path I ended up taking. My original plan was to go into athletic training, but after Coach Gibbs presented me with the opportunity to coach alongside him, I decided to go for it."

As a former player, Baugh shared the difficulties of going from a player to an assistant coach to now head coach of a place she knows all too well.

"Transitioning from a player to a coach was hard at first," she shared. "I had to coach former teammates, and it was a big adjustment for me at the start of my career. I had to find a balance and look at the game from the point of view of a coach rather than a player."

"It was a real learning experience, but it definitely prepared me to take on the role of head coach," she said.

Baugh spoke highly of former head coach Josh Gibbs, who recently moved onto a different role on campus. As it stands, Gibbs is the winningest coach in women's soccer history at Texas Wesleyan. The two-time Red River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and 2018 SAC regular season champion has left behind a history of success for the new head coach. 

"He built this program," she said. "His legacy speaks for itself, but one of the things he told me was to build this program in my eyes rather than trying to fill his shoes. He told me to make it my own and not think about it being his program."

"This program is mine now, and I look to continue the history of success," Baugh said. 

Baugh is excited for the season to start.

"If I could, I'd start the season tomorrow," she laughed. "This past season was a bit of a struggle, but it was a learning experience nevertheless. I am looking forward to the players getting back to playing and just having fun. I have a group of players that want to play for me and believe that I can do this, and it is the greatest feeling in the world."