May 28, 2008
Oklahoma Baptist alum and assistant baseball coach Kevin Paxson has been named head coach of Sooner Athletic Conference rival Mid-America Christian University.
Paxson, a native of Shawnee, was a Third-Team All-American at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kan. Paxson finished off his college career with the Bison.
At OBU, Paxson set the single season record with 79 in 1998. That record stood until this 2008 season. He was a two-time All-Sooner Athletic Conference selection, leading the Bison with a .464 average in 1998 and finishing with a career batting average of .449 - the second-highest career batting average in OBU history.
After college, he played one year of professional baseball for the Tennessee Tomahawks in the Heartland League.
The 1998 OBU graduate was a Shawnee High School assistant coach in the 2001-2003 seasons. Paxson also served as the assistant/hitting coach for St. Gregory's University in Shawnee from 2003-2006. Paxson went back to his alma mater in 2006 as the assistant/hitting coach, before accepting the position at MACU.
"I am very excited to welcome Kevin as our head baseball coach," MACU Athletic Director Willie Holley said. "Kevin is a student of the game of baseball, having played and worked under OBU Coach Bobby Cox for the past several years. I am convinced Coach Paxson will bring strong Christian leadership, as well as a very competitive baseball program, to MACU."
Paxson has coached in several summer collegiate baseball leagues since 2004, including the New England Collegiate Baseball League, New York Collegiate Baseball League, and the Red River Collegiate Baseball League.
"Coaching at MACU is a great opportunity," Paxson said. "I like the direction that MACU is going, and I am happy to be a part of the school's growth. My goal is to help student-athletes achieve in life and in baseball. I look forward to taking the MACU baseball program to the next level."