LAFAYETTE - Aaron Batey, formerly an assistant track and field coach for the past six years at Little Rock, has been appointed to a similar position with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns track and field team in an announcement on Wednesday by head coach Lon Badeaux.

The hiring of Batey is subject to approval from the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors.

Batey, a former student-athlete at Little Rock and 11-time All-Sun Belt Conference honoree, will serve as the Ragin' Cajuns cross country and distance coach. During his tenure with the Trojans, Batey coached NCAA cross country qualifier Isaac Lalang, 2015 Sun Belt Conference women's indoor track athlete of the year Emma Dahl and 2016 SBC women's indoor track top meet scorer Noora Wallenius.

"He's someone I've known for 11 years, I've watched him compete and saw what kind of athlete he was, and then when he got into coaching, the athletes he was able to bring into (Arkansas) Little Rock was phenomenal " Badeaux said. "He has a really good recruiting base, especially in international runners and he has a track record of getting the kids to the line they're never injured and he trains them well."

Batey earned back-to-back appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Regional in the 1,500-meter run in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, he became only the second athlete in school history to earn Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship Men's Top Scorer honors after winning the 1,500 meters, placing second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and placing third in the 5,000-meter run. Batey holds the school record for the men's mile, which he set in 2010 with a time of 4:04.38.

"I'm very excited to be here and I've always admired the University and the fanbase," Batey said. "This is a place where the fans really love their sports, and in the two weeks I've been here, it's just a friendly community. I believe that I can bring a lot to the University and feel that we can make an immediate impact and win championships in both cross country and on the track."

A native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Batey graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2010 with a degree in health and exercise science.