Women’s softball has chosen assistant coach Amy Ramirez as the new directo of Softball Operations. She is a former Lancers pitching star, 2016 CBU Hall of Fame inductee, two-time NAIA Pitcher of the Year winner and two-time NAIA All-American.
Ramirez is stepping off the diamond and into her new role where she is still an integral part of the team’s needs.
“My role (as director of softball operations) is to get the team prepared any way I can,” Ramirez said. “I handle the team’s travel arrangements and set games for them during the preseason and help the coaches in any other way.”
In her two seasons pitching for the Lancers, Ramirez broke many records, including leading softball Lancers with an ERA of 0.83, ranking fourth in wins, placing second in saves with eight, and ranking third in complete games with 53.
“I was lucky to have a successful career here (at CBU),” Ramirez said. “My junior and senior years, I was new to the team and I had the opportunnity to play with my sister. It was me trying to meet my sister’s and coaches’ standards of work hard and do my part as a leader in the classroom and on the field.”
Bill Baber, head coach of softball, brought Ramirez on as the pitching coach after he was hired in 2011.
“When I talked to her about coming onto the staff, it was just a great fit,” Baber said. “I had just got the head coaching job at CBU and I was looking for staff to bring on. Amy had played for us while I was an assistant coach. Her work ethic was second to none. (She was) a hard worker and phenomenal pitcher.”
When deciding on who to bring on to help coach the team, Baber said he knew Ramirez was the best person for the job.
“She was a hard worker during her time here. When she got on the field, she gave everything she had,” Baber said. “That’s where I knew her work ethic as an assistant coach would be the same. Especially when she worked with the athletes now, she’s going to expect them to be just as good if not better than the level she played.”
Kellye Springstead, junior criminal justice major and pitcher, said Ramirez made a huge impact through coaching and mentoring her.
“She inspired me to become healthier and happier with my body,” Springstead said. “She taught me to change my whole mindset and to think positively and work through certain situations. She has been there for me these past four years.”
With her new job title, Ramirez is no longer the women’s softball pitching coach. Springstead said Ramirez’s coaching style will be missed.
“(As a coach) she brought intensity and was always pushing us to be better. She made sure we were working hard day in and day out,” Springstead said. “With her new position, the pitching staff does miss her as a motivator, but just because she’s in a new job title that does not mean she can’t stop teaching. She has always taught me something new.”
Starting a new position came easy to Ramirez. She said she will miss coaching but is happy to have more time to spend with her family.
“With the operations job, I find it easier to come in and get my work done without having to stay for late practices, traveling around for recruitments,” Ramirez said. “It makes it a lot easier for my family and me.”
Ramirez is currently waiting on the arrival of her second child due in 2019. With her new position, Ramirez said she is able to spend more time at home with her husband and daughter.
