The sun was shining, the thermostat read mid-60s and the New Mexico players dressed in turquoise uniforms were all smiles during what felt like a midseason day at Santa Ana Star Field on Friday.
UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said on baseball media day that the goal remains the same: to put another Mountain West championship year on the outfield wall.
This year, Birmingham has a lot of confidence as the baseball season is set to begin in Hawaii on Friday, he said. The big thing that Birmingham said stands out is the atmosphere in the locker room.
“The chemistry is really good. I didn’t think our chemistry was really good last year,” the head coach said. “I thought we had some things that were in house that I had not seen in a long time in my coaching career.”
Birmingham said there were players last year that weren’t fighting for the best of the team, which forced him to make a change.
“We’ve cleaned those things up, those people are gone and we’re back to being Lobo baseball,” he said. “The chemistry is really good.”
Third baseman Carl Stajduhar agrees that this team has a different feel to it. Though Stajduhar enjoyed a Freshman All-American season, the infielder said the accolades don’t mean much; he just wants to assist the team to another MW championship.
“We had good chemistry last year, but this year it’s excellent,” Stajduhar said. “Everybody is always together. There’s not really that one guy that kind of sits by himself like we’ve had on teams in the past.”
Birmingham’s philosophy of being able to utilize any member on the club rings true again in 2016. He said he doesn’t like players to feel comfortable that they own a spot in the lineup. Keeping the fire lit under each individual is something the coach said he ensures will always be there.
“I am one of those old school guys that (believes) the butt meets the bench, the bench sends a message to the butt, and the butt sends a message to the brain that you are not playing very well and you’d better change things,” he said.
Stajduhar said that isn’t a problem with this team. The infielder said members of the squad are ready to work hard and earn their spot in the lineup.
“We’re blue collar, like coach B always says,” Stajduhar said. “We’re grinders ... we’re ready to go and we’re not afraid to get our hands dirty out here.”
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Stajduhar said the squad has a great time with each other on and off the diamond, but they all are working to achieve a common goal.
Despite Stajduhar hailing from Colorado, some of the unity the players are finding in the locker room might be attributed to the amount of local talent on the team. Birmingham said local players will continue to lace up to play for New Mexico because of the quality of athletes in the state.
“That’s what we do here. It’s about New Mexico kids,” Birmingham said. “If all the New Mexico kids come to UNM, we will go to Omaha with New Mexico kids leading the way.”
After falling just a base hit short of another MW crown last year, he said he thinks this year, the Lobos will be in contention for a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, the host city of the College World Series.
“The national conversation is always included with the University of New Mexico,” Birmingham said.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball, and beach volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
