Erica Beach Position: Head Coach Experience: 2nd Year

In her first season at the helm of the Lobo softball program, Coach Beach compiled a record of 19-26. The Lobos were 9-8 at home, 5-14 on the road, 5-4 on neutral ground and 5-10 in Mountain West play.

The 2011 season record of 19-26 was a drastic improvement on New Mexico's 2010 performance of 11-37 overall (3-19 at home, 1-8 away, 7-10 neutral and 1-14 in conference play) and the Lobos' best record since 2008 (25-26 overall, 7-13 in conference play.

New Mexico naturally saw improvements in several aspects of the game from 2010 to 2011:

Team Batting Average
2010: .275 2011: .297

On-base Percentage
2010: .342 2011: .357

Runs Batted In
2010: 493 2011: 570

Runs Scored
2010: 191 2011: 217

Home Runs
2010: 23 2011: 40

Fielding Percentage
2010: .954 2011: .960

Runs Allowed
2010: 335 2011: 243

Errors
2010: 66 2011: 53

Erica Beach Named Head Coach of New Mexico Softball, June 2010

Erica Beach was named the fourth head softball coach in school history on June 17, 2010. Beach came to UNM from Ohio State where she was a successful assistant for four seasons (2006-10). Beach is one of the top coaches nationally.

"We are excited to have a coach of Erica's caliber lead our softball program," said University of New Mexico Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs in June 2010. "She has had success at every level; as a player, as a professional and as an assistant coach. She also has strong ties to the southwest part of the country--including New Mexico--an area full of young softball talent."

A former All-American and Academic All-American softball player at Arizona State, Beach has spent the past eight years building her coaching resume and playing professionally.

"Joining the University of New Mexico Athletics Department is truly a fantastic opportunity," Beach said in June 2010. "I couldn't have asked for a more supportive administration and am ready to get this program to the top of the Mountain West and into the NCAA Tournament."

When asked about what drew her to UNM, Beach stated, "I feel the University of New Mexico offers so many things to both staff and student-athletes. There are amazing academic resources, top-notch facilities and a supportive local community. This institution has everything a student-athlete needs to be competitive on the field and successful in the classroom. All of these factors make me excited to be a New Mexico Lobo."

Beach joined the collegiate coaching ranks in the summer of 2006 when she made the move to Ohio State. She worked primarily with the Buckeyes pitchers and catchers, while coordinating other aspects of the game and daily team administration. The Buckeyes hosted and advanced to the NCAA Regional Championship game in 2007, 2009 and 2010 with the 2009 team moving on to the NCAA Super Regional. In her four years at OSU, pitchers and catchers earned three All-America selections, seven All-Region honors and one Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Under Beach's tutelage, pitcher Kim Reeder finished the Buckeyes' campaign in 2009 as a third-team All-American. As a senior, Reeder set Ohio State career records for wins (77) and innings pitched (763.2) while holding the No. 2 spot for strikeouts with 706. In 2009, she also set the season record for wins (26) and complete games (23).

As a group, Buckeyes pitchers tallied 159 wins with 56 shutouts in the four years Beach took over coaching duties. In addition to working with the pitching staff, she worked with the catchers and outfielders and coordinated all team travel throughout the season.

Beach began her coaching career at the same time as her professional playing career. She led a junior squad in the Netherlands to the Dutch Junior League championship, then spent the next three years as an assistant coach at high schools in the Phoenix, Ariz., area. On staff at two programs at the same time, Beach helped lead Phoenix Country Day High School and Chaparral High School to the state tournament twice (2003, 2004). She then served as an assistant coach at Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, Ariz.

Beach played her college ball at Arizona State from 1999-2002. A pitcher and designated player, Beach led the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament all four seasons with two Women's College World Series appearances in 1999 and 2002. She was named to the 2002 WCWS All-Tournament Team as a pitcher and was a three-time All-Pac-10 honoree. Also strong in the classroom, Beach was a First Team Verizon Academic All-American in 2001. Beach earned her bachelor's degree in Broadcasting from ASU in 2003.

In the fall of 2003, Beach began her professional career in Europe playing for the Sparks Haarlem in The Netherlands. She led the team to the 2003 European Cup championship and was named the European Cup Most Outstanding Pitcher. In 2004 and 2005, she played for the Arizona Heat in the National Pro Fastpitch League and was an All-Star in 2004. From 2006-08, Beach helped lead the New England Riptide to the NPF championship.

"I'd like to thank Paul Krebs and Janice Ruggiero for putting their trust in me to steer the Lobo softball program in the right direction."

Lobos Softball

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