Don’t remind the UNM softball team how it fared last year; it has already forgotten.
Under former head coach Ty Singleton, the Lobos went 11-37 overall and 1-14 in Mountain West Conference action in 2010. Centerfielder Kerry Hodgins said that the Lobos and new head coach Erica Beach aren’t concerned about last year.
“If we mess up, our coaches tell us that we messed up, but then that’s that,” she said. “Our coaches emphasize that it’s over, and it’s time to move on. It’s time to focus on the next play. It’s time to put the past behind us. Our coaches don’t dwell on the past, and we shouldn’t dwell on it, either.”
Beach has stressed a can-do attitude, and with a 3-0 sweep over Utah Valley during the weekend, the Lobos have already equaled their number of home wins from a year ago.
The first-year head coach said she is emphasizing having fun, which was evidenced by the joking and laughing coming from the Lobo dugout Saturday and Sunday.
“Playing softball is no longer like a job or something our players don’t want to do,” Beach said. “They’re excited to step on the field now. It’s fun, and they want to be there. Just instilling that passion is the biggest impact we’ve made.”
That passion hasn’t been lost to junior utility player Jessica Garcia.
“We’re seeing the ball really well, and one through nine is stepping up for us,” she said.
Holding true to Garcia’s words, UNM showed marked improvement offensively, notching 33 hits and 24 runs in three games over the weekend.
But the Lobos shined most defensively, making one diving play after another to rob batters of hits.
“That’s the defense we are seeing in practice,” Beach said. “We play with a lot of energy, and we cover a lot of ground. It was a lot of fun seeing the team show that capability off for the fans.”
To get the Lobos to practice as they play, Beach said she is shifting her team’s focus.
“We expect more day in and day out,” she said. “We make them work harder than they’ve ever worked before. We work hard in practice so that games are easy, and so that games are fun.”
Best of all, Beach is realistic about a turnaround. Shifting the mentality of a struggling program won’t be an overnight job. She said it will take countless hours of hard work and dedication.
“Our goal is to take each game as it comes,” she said. “We can’t look ahead. We can’t focus on the past. We just have to stay in the now. We want to focus on the next seven innings we have to play, and the next three outs we’re about to make.”
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True to form, Lobo softball this season won’t be about the wins or losses. It will be about improvement. And with just six juniors on a roster of 16, Hodgins said, there’s plenty of time.
“We know we’re a young, inexperienced team,” Hodgins said. “But that’s the best part. Us juniors have two years with the program.
“I know what these girls are capable of,” Beach said. “I just want to see them be successful with all the work they’ve put in. I wanted them to see results, and I couldn’t be happier with the way we’re starting out the season.”
