Coaches

Nicholas Raya, Head Coach

Nicholas Raya is a career educator with 13 years experience teaching special education and eight years experience as a high school softball coach. He earned his bachelor's degree in history with a minor in English from the University of Texas at Arlington, and is certified to teach general special education in the state of Texas.

Raya has taught and coached in a variety of environments and gained experience and perspective about inner-city schools as well as rural and suburban schools. He has guided and mentored disabled students in life-skills as well as in mainstream classes, and was grateful in 2000 to be recognized as Rowlett Special Education Teacher of the Year.

As a softball coach, Raya has led teams to the playoffs in five out of eight seasons. He has maintained an overall coaching record of 138-74, and he has had the privilege of sending five girls to play college softball.

Raya has founded and maintained high school softball programs as well as rebuilt and strengthened struggling programs. In 1994 he started the fast-pitch program at St. John's High school in Ennis and led the team to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools' 2A regional finals in the program's first year.

From 1996 to 1999, Raya rebuilt and re-energized Highland Park High School's 4A fast-pitch softball team. In 2002, he coached softball for one year at Ursuline High School, a TAPPS 5A school. From there, he moved to Warren Travis White High School in Dallas, where he rebuilt and strengthened a struggling softball program and guided the team to its first 5A district title.

In addition to his high school coaching experience, Raya has coached summer select softball clubs. He also organized and led the Special Olympic program at Rowlett High School from 2000-2003. This served as a wonderful source of satisfaction for him as a teacher and coach.

Raya married his wife, Rachel in April 2006. He began work as a special ed teacher and softball coach at J.J. Pearce High School in August 2006.

Meredith McIntosh-Kean, Assistant Coach

Meredith received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio University and her teacher certification from the University of North Texas. She is excited to join the Pearce team, teaching English III and coaching volleyball and softball. Meredith and her husband Chad were married last September in Destin, Florida.