A new era of UNM baseball begins this season as first-year head coach Ray Birmingham tries to duplicate some of the success he had in the southern part of the state.
Birmingham - who spent his last 18 seasons at New Mexico Junior College - replaces Rich Alday, who stepped down after 18 years at UNM.
In his 20 seasons as a head coach, Birmingham brings an impressive résumé that includes an 818-328-2 record, a national championship and a national runner-up.
NMJC won the national championship in 2005 and lost in the championship last season.
Birmingham's teams have been known to be great hitters, and he expects that to translate to the Division I level at UNM, he said.
"We're not going to stand on the plate and turn and bunt," Birmingham said. "We're going to handle the bat and hit the ball to all fields. . We'll hit a few homeruns, but we're going to try and hit for average."
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UNM lost its top two hitters in first baseman Daniel Stovall and All-American second baseman Jordan Pacheco, as well as strong contributors Mat Foote and Jay Russell.
The Lobos welcome back a solid senior class led by preseason All-Mountain West Conference selections in starting pitcher Bobby LaFromboise and utility man Matt Hibbitts.
Hibbitts said transitioning to a new head coach in your final year can be tough, but Birmingham has the Lobos optimistic and excited for this season.
"We have three new coaches this year, and they all have something special to offer, which I think will make our team really good this year," he said.
The Lobos haven't been to a regional tournament since 1962. But Birmingham said his team is providing a lot of enthusiasm that could get Lobo fans thinking more about baseball.
"This team has a shot at the MWC Championship and get into a regional," he said. "It's going to be a haul to get this program where I want it, which is a national championship team. It'll take a while, but it's going to happen."
Baseball vs. Eastern Michigan
Friday, 3 p.m.
Isotopes Park
