Jamie Briggs, left, presents Chris Munoz with the 2010 District 25-4A Coach of the Year Award at the LHS softball banquet Tuesday. PHOTO BY RICHARD AKRIDGE For the second consecutive year, the Lady Badgers won the District 25-4A championship and for the second consecutive year, their head coach was named the district’s coach of the year.

Despite that success, for the second consecutive year Lampasas is searching for a new head coach.

Chris Munoz recently stepped down from the position after guiding his Lady Badgers to a flawless district record and reaching the regional quarterfinals in the playoffs, where the team fell to defending state champion New Braunfels Canyon -- one of four teams remaining in the Class 4A playoffs. This marked the furthest Lampasas ever advanced in the playoffs.

The reasoning behind the move has to do with Munoz’s lack of experience and not his first-year performance, according to LHS Athletic Director Joey McQueen, who requested Munoz step down after naming him head coach following Chris Gaffney’s sudden departure in 2009.

“He asked me what I thought he should do, and I told him I thought he should move to assistant,” McQueen said. “We discussed [prior to the season] how I’d like to get someone with more experience, but I had to make a move [to replace Gaffney].”

Munoz accepted the position with no professional softball experience, but he previously served as an assistant baseball coach with the Badgers.

Some would argue Munoz’s lack of softball strategy contributed to the then-No. 10 Lady Badgers’ exit from the postseason after their 8-1 and 19-3 losses to the Courgarettes in the best-of-three series.

McQueen does not agree.

“They are just a really good team,” he said of 34-3 Canyon. “Some of the best-coached teams in the state have lost to them.”

Munoz will remain with the Lady Badgers as an assistant coach, replacing TyAnna Tuck who is set to become the new girls’ head track coach upon Trent Lancaster’s retirement after 21 years with the program. Beth Rutland will continue to serve as the Lady Badgers’ other assistant coach.

The assistant role could be an ideal fit for Munoz, as McQueen is expecting to hire a disciplineoriented head coach. That will allow Munoz to play middle man between the players and their new leader.

“I think he will be a great assistant,” McQueen said. “And I think he will be a great head [softball] coach one day.”

Sweeny’s Scott DeMarco appears to be the leading candidate for the vacant softball coaching job.

The move also comes just prior to the Lady Badgers’ drop to Class 3A, where Lampasas -- a combined 19-1 in district during the last two seasons -- could become a serious contender for a state championship thanks to a senior-loaded team.

With eight of the team’s primary 11 players heading into their final season and nobody departing, 2011 could be the team’s best opportunity to win a title, which would make a battle-tested head coach a valuable asset.

McQueen, however, denies the coaching change was brought about by anything other than wanting to get an experienced head coach into the program.

“[The 2011 possibilities] had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Regardless of reasoning or records, Lampasas is hunting for a new, hopefully long-term head coach.

And whoever is hired to replace Munoz will have big shoes to fill.

After all, anything less than an unblemished district championship run and advancing to at least the regional quarterfinals would be a step backward.