However, the Mountain West feels differently. The Lobos are projected to finish dead last in the conference this year following last year’s departure of four key starters.
“We did lose some big sticks, but I feel that we have kids that have stepped up,” head coach Erica Beach said at the softball media day press conference. “I feel we have more bats in the lineup that can get it done now and I’m very confident.”
The Lobos came out victorious in all six games the squad played together in the fall. The undefeated fall preview was the first time any UNM softball team has accomplished such a feat.
Beach said the youth on the team is a major contributor to her assurance that this club is going to be much better than the team that finished eighth in the conference a year ago.
Freshman catcher Chelsea Johnson appears to be one of the bright young spots on a roster that is returning 12 players from a season ago. Johnson has been nominated by the Mountain West to win All-Conference freshman of the year.
“I think it’s a challenge that I have to live up to what is expected of me,” Johnson said. “It’s exciting and I can’t wait to show the Mountain West what I am made of.”
Assistant coach Lyndsey Angus said she is confident the freshman is going to come up strong in her first year. However, Angus said the game needs to come to Johnson instead of the other way around. She said the veteran pitching staff will help mold Johnson into a solid player.
“Chelsea is a freshman. You expect her, you recruit her to do all of these things, but she’s still young,” Angus said. “We know what she can do, but we don’t want to bog her with the expectations.”
UNM’s starting junior center fielder Mariah Rimmer has been elected to the Second Team All-Conference club. Rimmer said it’s nice to be recognized, but she isn’t going to stress about the high expectations.
“I got chosen for the game I play. Why change that?” Rimmer said. “I’m going to continue to play the game I play.”
The Lobos’ starting right fielder has already collected a First Team Mountain West selection to her résumé. Senior Brandi Heimburg said the preseason nomination doesn’t change anything about what she is trying to accomplish this season.
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The only senior outfielder led the team in runs scored last year and was a perfect 6-6 in stolen bases. She had a .970 fielding percentage and threw out four base runners that tested her left arm.
“You want to strive to do better than you did last year,” Heimburg said. “I guess there’s pressure in everything. I mean, it’s good pressure.”
Angus said that while having three Lobos being selected was delightful, she expects there to be names added to that list when the awards come out.
Sophomore third baseman Jasmine Casados is one of the players Angus said to keep an eye on. As a freshman, Casados belted seven homers and walked 23 times, both team-highs. Angus said she expects Casados to be atop the UNM record books in homers before her tenure as a Lobo is over.
Talk of expectations and projections may dwindle as the season starts for the Lobos today at 9 a.m. in the team’s first game of the season against Seattle U. The Kajikawa Classic will feature a double-header today and on Saturday before the fifth and final game on Sunday.
“We’re just looking forward to playing, seeing where we are, seeing where we’re going to stand,” Rimmer said. “We’re just hoping to go out there and get some ‘W’s.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
