June 25, 2007

Press Conference

New Mexico President David Schmidly
"On behalf of the University of New Mexico, I want to welcome everyone here today. We are really excited and I am especially because I grew up playing baseball. I had the opportunity to play baseball in college and it's probably one of the most American things we have. Baseball has meant a lot to me. I've been to the stadium and I've had a chance to see the possibilities here at New Mexico. I'm so thrilled that we are capable of introducing the caliber of coach that we are introducing here today.

"I want to thank Paul Krebs. This is the second time I've seen Paul's work in terms of bring a national caliber coach to our institution to coach our young student-athletes and to make our program as competitive as they can be."

Director of Athletics Paul Krebs
"We are delighted to be introducing Ray Birmingham as our 11th head coach in Lobo baseball history. He has had outstanding success throughout his career at the Junior College Level, including a .750 winning percentage, a national championship. He has competed numerous times for the title as well as having countless players go to Division I schools and play professional baseball.

"We were impressed with his winning percentage but more than that we are encouraged by his ability to develop talent. He has the coaching abilities to mold and develop young men. Not only make them develop as baseball players but he holds them accountable and has great discipline. Coach has stressed academics and understands the importance of the young men going to class.

"He brings energy and a commitment to being out in the community. We aren't just talking Albuquerque but also the state of New Mexico. There is no question he is a tireless worker with the energy and focus to develop our baseball program. Coach has the highest expectations for this program and there is no question that he is dedicated to seeing the Lobo program succeed. I'm delighted to introduce our new head baseball coach Ray Birmingham."

Head Coach Ray Birmingham
"I'm proud to wear a Lobo uniform and today we go to work.

"I'm excited to be part of a very progressive time at the University of New Mexico. I was attracted to this job because you can feel the excitement and energy in the family atmosphere that is being built by Mr. Krebs, President Schmidly and Tim Cass. You can only be as good as the people around you and I feel fortunate to have an outstanding supporting cast.

"For years, I've seen the talent in New Mexico and I've talked with this baseball team to see how close they really are. We have a big dream and I believe in the dream. We are going to work towards that goal and we have to use the kids of New Mexico to do that. I believe in that because there are great players in this state. We are going to work hard to get to Omaha and the College World Series.

"I have high expectations on the baseball field and in the classroom. We need to be focused on our involvement in the community and how we carry ourselves. We are going to look like a team, we're going to act like a team and be a team. New Mexico wants a large family of athletes and that's what we are going to try and do. We all have the same goals in being successful in the every walk of life."