There was an error in this story. The story should have said Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt has eight national championships. The DT regrets the error. It has been fixed in the story below.
It was not too long ago when Texas Tech softball played the 2007 Big 12 Conference Championship Game against Oklahoma. The Red Raiders were one game away from capping a historic run. They became the first No. 8 seed to reach the championship in Big 12 history, but Tech lost to the Sooners 6-3, and any hope to reach the Women's College World Series came to an abrupt end.
The four-year stay of coach Teresa Wilson also came to a close Tuesday.
Wilson told her team Monday night that she will return to her old stomping grounds, the Pac-10 Conference, to fill the vacancy of pitching coach at Arizona. Effective immediately, Amy Suiter will replace Wilson as interim head coach. Also on staff with Suiter is her husband, Dustin Suiter.
"Under Coach Wilson's guidance the Texas Tech softball team has moved forward. We have outstanding student-athletes who are committed to becoming great players and have already proven themselves in the classroom and in the community," Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers said in a press release.
Amy Suiter is a fourth-year assistant coach who played catcher for Wilson when she coached at Washington.
"Their teaching of fundamentals and methods, and styles will still be the same," Wilson said. "They work with our kids every day, essentially the titles have changed a little bit but the kids are working with the same people, and I think that's a great source of comfort for them."
Arizona is one of the premier softball programs in the nation. She joins Arizona coach Mike Candrea, who took a leave of absence in 2008 to serve as head coach of the U.S. Women's National team for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
Along with having a gold medal, Candrea has won eight national championships in 17 years and has reached the Women's College World Series in 19 of the last 20 years.
To explain her position, Wilson said the temptation of coaching at Arizona would be similar to a coaching offer from women's Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in men and women's basketball who has won eight national championships.
"If she turned and asked somebody to work with her it would be a golden opportunity," Wilson said. "Mike Candrea is the best softball coach in the world, so it's a great opportunity for me to work with Mike."
Wilson took over for Tech in 2005 after 13 years at Washington, where she led the Huskies to 10 straight NCAA Tournaments and six NCAA Women's College World Series appearances. She also coached at Oregon and Minnesota.
Wilson was unable to create a consistent winning atmosphere at Tech, compiling a 89-123 record.
At No. 7, Wilson's squad came into 2008 with its highest conference ranking since 2001, but lost its first 12 games in what would be a school record for most consecutive losses to start a season.
The Red Raiders finished sixth in the conference and advanced to the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, where they lost to Nebraska 6-1.
Be the first to comment on this article!