July 8, 2010
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The cliché “hit the ground running” definitely applies to Erica Beach, but the new Lobo softball coach’s mode of transportation wasn’t limited to foot travel for long.
Beach did the footwork – and the paperwork — necessary to get on the New Mexico payroll and then it was more “up, up and away.”
“We needed to get recruiting,” said Beach, who came to UNM off an assistant spot with Ohio State. “I needed to get to Colorado and hit the ground running. That was one of the bigger weekends for recruiting and it was important for us to get there.”
The fields in the Denver area were blooming and booming with young softball talent from across the nation as Boulder and Aurora hosted youth showcase Fourth of July tournaments for top club teams coast-to-coast.
There was a future Top 20 team or two or three playing “showcase” ball in Colorado. Beach needed to strut her New Mexico gear, her New Mexico pitch line, and let the world of club softball know that there is a new softball sheriff in town at New Mexico.
Yep, this was a talent search for Beach and top assistant Lyndsey Angus, who, along with assistant Christi Musser, face the challenge and the chore of turning around a Lobo program that lost 33 of 36 games at the tail end of the 2010 season.
It also is a program that hasn’t recorded a winning season in ten years (2001) and hasn’t been to the NCAA postseason – well, ever.
This is not the stuff that Beach and her staff are made of. They have a history of winning softball and Beach was an All-Pac-10 and All-American pitcher at Arizona State.
When asked about the depth of the challenge of putting New Mexico softball back on the map – or maybe on it for the first time – Beach responds with a confident smile. In a way, this is the stuff that competitor’s are made of – facing the odds, facing a challenge.
“You don’t play or coach sports not wanting to win,” said Beach. “I have no doubt we are going to win here. That means these players had better be prepared to put in the effort it takes to win.
“We plan to make it happen here. That means the players work hard and the coaches work hard. I’ll be very clear about my expectation and the work I expect everyone to put in. I’m going to bust some butts when they (Lobos) get here.”
Of course, Beach has a plan. In part, that means to make the returning Lobos better and to bring in the best possible future Lobos.
“We plan to recruit the best athletes out of New Mexico. That’s our first priority,” she said. “But we’re going after the best athletes we can get and I really don’t care where they come from.”
The core Beach inherits isn’t bad. There is a backbone of young talent and Beach will have no seniors on her 2010-11 roster.
Beach probably needs to add a few impact players for 2011, but that might be a tough chore with her looking at a shortened recruiting period. For sure, she needs to massage more production off the Lobo mound and from her returning Lobos.
It would be fair not to put too many expectations on a coach taking over a program that posted one Mountain West Conference win in 2010. Beach says bring on those expectations because she is the first to place them on her shoulders.
“It would be easy to look down the road, but we expect to make an impact this season,” said Beach. “Our goal is to play for a league championship this season.
“There are great kids in the program right now and we want those Lobos to leave here on a great note. We have a bunch of sophomores and juniors (13) and those kids deserve the best possible experience they can have over the next two years.
“We want them to love their experience at New Mexico and tell other kids how much they loved being Lobos.”
That lofty step toward being a MWC contender will take some work – and obviously more production on the field. The Lobos of 2010 were a feisty bunch, but there were numerous shortcomings in slappers, power hitters, speed and pitching.
“We want to eventually field a balanced team,” said Beach. “We want hitters, slappers and power. Obviously, pitching is vital to any program. Probably the biggest concern right now is to bring in the arms we need and to make the pitchers we have perform at a higher level.
“My pitchers will work harder than anyone else on the team and if they aren’t willing to put in the work, we’ll have a problem. All the players will know from Day One what is expected.
“I’m trying not to come in with any preconceived notions. All the spots are up for grabs, and everyone will have a fair shot to earn a spot, but they will have to work hard for what they get.”
Of course, there is one preconceived notion that Beach will take to the Lobo diamond from Day One. She expects her Lobos to play with passion, energy – and to win. She says that challenge is mental as much as it is physical.
“Our first job is to change the mentality of the program, change the expectations,” said Beach. “Our kids will understand that winning is a mentality and an expectation that is contagious. And we’re here to win.”
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net