<ickson is in the middle of her 20th season as the head coach of the Carleton’s women’s softball team. Since coming to the program as an interim coach, she has brought an unprecedented amount of success to the organization, earning over 200 wins to become the all-time leader in wins in program history. While many coaches might look to move to a bigger program in an attempt to move up the coaching ladder, Coach Erickson has no intention of leaving Carleton, as she prefers the Division III scene.
This is due in large part to her having been a Division III athlete herself. Erickson said she loved the atmosphere of Division III athletics, especially the “high academics and the well-rounded experiences” that Division III colleges allow their students and faculty to enjoy. As a result of this atmosphere at Carleton, Erickson has had opportunities to build the softball program with knowledge from trips examining Division I teams, but also the chance to interact with students through various classes she teaches in the physical education department.
This leads into Erickson’s favorite part about coaching at the Division III level, which is building relationships with students and helping them grow and succeed throughout their time at school and later in life. Due to coaching at the Division III level, Coach Erickson often gets players with varying amounts of playing experience, ranging from those who have played year round on prestigious traveling teams to those who have only played for their high-school teams.
“Developing these players is one of the most fun parts of the job,” Erickson said. When developing these players, the first thing that she tries to instill in them is a team mentality. Whether it is out on the softball field or in the classroom, Erickson said she wants the team to help each other out.
“I want the team to help coach itself because we will only be as strong as our weakest link,” Erickson said. This “team first” mentality is the driving force behind Coach Erickson’s coaching philosophy, which develops not only the players but also the relationships within the team.
This year has been full of ups and downs for the team, due in large to the roster being undersized. As a result of this, the team has adopted the mantra “all for one,” because as Erickson’s philosophy goes, every player is crucial if the team is going to succeed. The main focus for the team this year is to work on the present and how to constantly improve. They will avoid getting hung up on losses or looking ahead to try to win the playoffs, but instead focus on what the team can do now in order to improve and develop consistent winning habits. The softball team’s final home game is April 23 against Bethel.