COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Dave Hajek, a former Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros and a long-time coach in the Colorado Rockies organization, was formally introduced as the first Head Baseball Coach for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs at a press conference this afternoon. Hajek will coach the Mountain Lions when they hit the field for the first season of competition in spring 2017.

"I've never done anything like this before, to build a program from the ground up is a thrilling opportunity, and to be able to do here it in my hometown" Hajek said in his opening remarks. "I'm just truly honored to be the first head coach."

Hajek played part of two seasons for the Astros and played 10 seasons between the Astros, Padres, Tigers and Rockies organizations. He finished his playing career in 1999 for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Hajek started coaching in 2004 for the Rockies and was most recently the Hitting Coach for the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Class AAA affiliate of the Rockies.

"We're going to be competitive right away," Hajek said. "That's one thing they talked to be about during the interview process. We don't want to just fill a baseball program and call it a baseball program. We want to be competitive in the RMAC, and I'm all for that and that's our goal. We want to compete for conference championships just like all of the other sports do that are already here. It's exciting to be a part of that right out of the gate, at a department that wants success, is willing to back that up and support that to make that happen."

UCCS will become the ninth school in the RMAC with baseball in spring 2017. Funding models for the program will put the team near the top of the conference in scholarship and operating budgets.

"Dave was obviously the choice for us to start the program," said Athletic Director Steve Kirkham. "His background, experience, and knowledge of the game, along with his connections all across the country, we think he's going to be a great fit here at UCCS."

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest growing universities in Colorado. The university offers 39 bachelor's degrees, 20 master's and five doctoral degrees. UCCS enrolls about 11,300 students on campus annually and another 2,000 in online programs. For more information, visit www.uccs.edu.