The family of Texas Tech Baseball Special Assistant Ray Hayward asks for Red Raiders, Sooners, and baseball fans everywhere to join them in praying for him during an ongoing health crisis. According to his wife Jeannie, Hayward, 60, underwent planned heart surgery in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex on Monday, March 21, and has faced ongoing challenges and complications during and after the procedure.
“Please continue to cover him and our family in prayer. We are all here with him,” said Jeannie Hayward. She went on to explain that as part of the healing process, Hayward is expected to be sedated for at least the next week.
Hayward joined the inaugural staff of the Tim Tadlock era in 2013 and is in his 10th year in the Texas Tech program. Hayward served as the pitching coach for five years and moved into the special assistant role after the 2017 season.
A native of Enid, Oklahoma, Hayward played four years for the University of Oklahoma, distinguishing himself as arguably the best all-around player in Oklahoma history. A left-handed pitcher, Hayward won 26 games in his career with the Sooners and graduated with a .381 career batting average and 30 home runs, leading the team in batting his freshman and senior seasons. A two-time All-American, Hayward was also the first player in Big Eight Conference history to garner All-Big Eight selections as a pitcher and position player in the same year, something he did in both 1981 and 1983.
Hayward was taken 10th overall by the San Diego Padres in the 1983 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut on September 20, 1986, and continued with the Padres through the 1987 season. Hayward went on to pitch for the Texas Rangers in 1988 and retired from professional baseball as part of the Rangers system in 1991. He went on to serve as a scout for six years with the Detroit Tigers and then returned to his alma mater as Oklahoma’s pitching coach for five years. Hayward went back to the professional baseball ranks to serve as the Midwest Scouting Supervisor for the Miami Marlins for eight years before joining Tadlock at Texas Tech in 2013.
“I think Texas Tech hit a home run with the hiring of Ray Hayward. Ray is one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Big 12 when he was (in the Big 12) before,
said Hall of Fame Head Coach Larry Hays on Hayward’s TexasTech.com biography page. “His contacts in the game of baseball, he has them at every level. Plus, he is just a really good person.”
Please join others in the college and professional baseball communities in sending good thoughts and prayers for Ray Hayward and his family during a difficult time. We will do our best to keep you updated regarding his condition as the family shares further details about his recovery.
