Feb. 7, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico softball team will open the 2011 season this weekend against Utah Valley at Lobo Field. The Lobos will host a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. MT, before the series finale Sunday at noon. UNM enters its first season under head coach Erica Beach and returns five starters. The games will be available via gametracker on GoLobos.com.
Utah Valley Series
When: Feb. 12 (1 p.m. MT *DH) and Feb. 13 (12 p.m. MT)
Where: Lobo Field – Albuquerque, N.M.
Coverage: GameTracker online at GoLobos.com
The Series – New Mexico is 6-1 all-time against Utah Valley. In the last meeting, the Lobos defeated the Wolverines, 8-0, on March 18, 2007. All seven games have been played in Albuquerque. The only win for Utah Valley was March 17, 2007, 5-3, in the second game of a doubleheader.
New Leader – New Mexico introduced Erica Beach as the new head softball coach on June 17, 2010. Beach inherited a program that went 11-37 last year and graduated five seniors. A former All-American and Academic All-American softball player at Arizona State, Beach has spent the past eight years building her coaching resume and playing professionally. Beach joined the collegiate coaching ranks in the summer of 2006 when she made the move to Ohio State. She worked primarily with the Buckeyes pitchers and catchers, while coordinating other aspects of the game and daily team administration. The Buckeyes hosted and advanced to the NCAA Regional Championship game in 2007, 2009 and 2010 with the 2009 team moving on to the NCAA Super Regional. In her four years at OSU, pitchers and catchers earned three All-America selections, seven All-Region honors and one Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Lobos At The Plate – UNM has hit the ball well throughout spring workouts and hopes to carry the momentum into the season. Sophomore Stefanie Carramusa is back and has high expectations. Carramusa hit .311 in her first season at the collegiate level. Junior Danielle Castro, who has played a variety of positions during her Lobo career, returns after hitting .400 last year in limited at-bats. The Lobos hit .275 in 2010 with 23 home runs and 171 RBIs.
In The Circle – New Mexico enters the season with two pitchers in sophomores Kari Gutierrez and Kaela DeBroeck. DeBroeck had a team high 39 appearances in 2010 and finished the year with a 6-20 record. Gutierrez finished last season with a 7.54 ERA and a 2-7 mark. UNM could potentially use junior Danielle Castro and freshman Madeline Greene if needed.
Behind The Dish – The Lobos will utilize three catchers this season. True freshman Ally Hakeem, who is an Albuquerque native, is the lone newcomer behind the plate and will battle for time. Sophomore Amber Tracy is back in a full-time capacity and is developing with additional reps. Junior Jessica Garcia is the veteran of the group and has shown the ability to block well and throw out runners. Garcia is the preseason favorite but she can also play third.
On The Horizon – Following this weekend, the Lobos will travel to Waco, Texas for a three-game series with Baylor. The Bears are coming off a 28-25 season and open the 2011 season with the legendary Getterman Classic at home. Baylor and New Mexico will play a doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m. MT and a single-game Saturday at 11 a.m. The games will be available via gametracker on GoLobos.com.
Lobo Field – UNM will play the 2011 season at the home of New Mexico softball, Lobo Field. Lobo Field was recently rebuilt in 2007 and features a natural grass surface. The field faces downtown Albuquerque with a great view of the Sandia Mountains. The dimensions of the field are 205-225-205 from left to right.
All-Time Record – New Mexico has an 838-846-3 (.497) all-time record in softball. UNM is looking for its first winning season since 2001, when Susan Craig led the Lobos to a 39-24 record.
New Assistants – UNM has two new assistants on staff in 2011. Lobo assistants Lyndsey Angus and Christi Musser were hired by Beach during the summer of 2010 and will help guide UNM this season.
Angus was part of a 2010 Kentucky staff that led the team to one of its winningest seasons in school history, the school’s first national ranking and its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Angus was a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats from 2000-03. In her freshman season, the Wildcats captured the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division crown. Three times she was an All-SEC selection and an All-SEC Academic team member on two occasions. Prior to joining the Kentucky staff, Angus spent three seasons, 2007-09, as an assistant coach at Centenary College in Shreveport, La., working under former UK assistant coach Mark Montgomery. Prior to her arrival at Centenary, Angus spent a year as a graduate assistant coach at Valdosta (Ga.) State. She graduated from UK in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and business administration. Angus was a member of the National Pro Fastpitch League’s Rockford Thunder. She was a member of the league beginning in 2004, playing with the New England Riptide for her first five seasons. Angus was named the NPF Most Valuable Player in 2006 and was a member of the All-NPF team in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
Musser recently wrapped up her 12th season with the Kansas softball program, having spent the last decade-plus as a player or coach for the Jayhawks. Musser spent the last eight years as an assistant coach at KU, beginning in 2003 after a successful four-year playing career. Musser worked with the KU outfielders and helped develop the players’ slapping and short game. She was also in charge of game day defensive strategy and served as Kansas’ recruiting coordinator.