Tyler Junior College announced Nicole Dickson, pictured here, as the school's first ever softball coach Monday July 29, 2013, at Wagstaff Gymnasium. Dickson served as the head softball coach at Paris Junior College and earned her Masters of Education at Hardin-Simmons University in sports management and kinesiology. (Sarah A. Miller | Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Exciting. That’s the word Tyler Junior College president Dr. Mike Metke and athletic director Dr. Tim Drain used to describe the new softball program while introducing its new head coach at Wagstaff Gym on Monday afternoon.

Nicole Dickson was revealed as the first ever TJC softball coach. Dickson has previously coached Paris Junior College and Howard College and has been to the NJCAA national tournament the past three years. She was also a pitcher for Eastern New Mexico University.

Metke and Drain both said the search for a coach was intensive and generated a lot of interest. Both are satisfied with the results.

“I’m really excited that after a national search, I think we got the best candidate we could dream of in Nicole Dickson,” Metke said. “She was a student athlete herself and she’s going to recruit a team that will have great students who happen to be great athletes. I think nobody has higher expectations of what she can do here than she does.”

Dickson said she is glad to be in Tyler and has had her eye on working in the Rose City.

“I did my thesis in Tyler during grad school; I was waiting for Tyler to start softball,” Dickson said. “Tyler is the total package. (TJC) has a beautiful campus with amazing facilities. It’s a great location and there are so many trees. I’m originally from West Texas so seeing lots of green is new to me.”

Dickson counts Kelly Raines at Howard College and Armando Quiroz from Pima College as her mentors and said she learned a lot about coaching from them.

“I’ve been blessed to play for some very good coaches,” Dickson said. “It was great working with them and learning from them. They both have successful programs nationally ranked every year and I learned a lot.”

Dickson will join fellow TJC coaches who have had national championships under their belt and she said she is excited to learn from them.

“It’s exciting for me to be able to learn from all of these coaches who have been so successful,” Dickson said. “For me, it’s a little bit different because it’s the first time I’ve built from the ground up and I think having resources like coaches who have been so successful already, just being able to pull knowledge from each of them and their programs will help me be a better coach.”

With the framework of the program in place, Dickson said she is ready to start recruiting for the first class of softball players.

“We’re looking to have our first recruits on campus in the fall of 2014,” she said. “We can sign 24 athletes and would love to have a big first class. I think we’re going to be able to get a lot of talent not just from East Texas but from all over the country. I feel like all we have to do is get kids on campus at TJC and it sells itself because of the great educational and athletic programs here.”

She added that part of the draw for coming to Tyler was the wealth of talent in the local softball community.

“There is great high school and college softball,” Dickson said. “There are also great travel teams from this area. I feel like one of the best things about Tyler is it is so youth sports-oriented. This whole community just embraces athletics for kids’ organizations and I think that’s where it all starts which is why TJC and UT Tyler are so successful.”

Drain said he’s been getting a lot of phone calls and e-mails asking about playing softball for TJC.

“I have girls who are seniors now e-mailing me that said I know you guys don’t have a coach yet, but could you come watch me play,” Drain said. “There’s a big interest already from girls that know they could potentially be the first signee to play softball at Tyler Junior College.”

While the search is still underway for an assistant softball coach, Drain said they are also focusing on building a softball facility.

“We are wanting to build an on-campus facility, preferably where the Apache Woodlands currently sit,” Drain said. “It already has a parking lot and there is asphalt already laid down under all of the portables. This project will be donor driven and we’re hoping it gets complete within the next two years.”

With a big to-do list ahead of her, Dickson said she is ready to start building a championship level team.

“I’m excited to be here,” Dickson said. “And I think East Texas is ready for TJC softball.”