ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – For the first time in head softball coach Erica Beach’s era, the University of New Mexico softball team has gone undefeated in its fall season. The Lobos claimed six total victories, two victories each over Odessa Community College, Luna Community College and Western New Mexico College.
“It’s exciting,” said Beach. “We learned a lot about our players. We have learned where we need to get better and what we are doing well.”
One aspect of the game that Beach thought the Lobos really improved upon from last season was pitching. This fall the Lobos limited the number of runners that reached base and they saw many good things come out of the circle.
“It’s the best fall we have had pitching wise. They were effective in the fact that they didn’t give up a ton of walks and free base runners which is what we have struggled with in the past. They were mentally tougher which is big for us.”
Offensively, the Lobos were very productive as they scored a total of 44 runs in the six games. Last season, the Lobos scored a lot of runs but really relied on either the home run ball or short game. Those two aspects were rarely seen together. This fall the Lobos combined the two aspects.
“We were a very productive offense. We weren’t relying on one aspect. We weren’t relying on home runs or short game. It was a nice combination of power with the short game. We had good base running and it was really nice to see the versatility in our lineup.”
The Lobos shined on the defensive side of the game. The defense helped the pitchers limit the number of base runners and also help them throw a perfect game this fall.
“We had one perfect game and a couple one-hitters this fall and you can’t do that without the defense. The defense was really impressive. We made double plays, made difficult plays and had diving catches in the outfield. Overall, I was really happy with how the defense came to play. Pitching and defense go hand-in-hand.”
The Lobos start off the 2015 season with the Kajikawa Classic which is hosted by Beach’s alma mater, Arizona State. The Lobos will face Seattle U on February 6th.