When did you start coaching at De Anza?I came in about 11 years ago. I was coaching football before, at Fremont High School. Later I started coaching softball for a traveling team, and one of my former high school coaches recommended me for the job. At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it, and I decided I’d just take the job for two years. 2 years became 11, and I’ve been here ever since.

What would you say interested you about the sport?I’d say it was the girls’ attitude. To a certain extent, they’re easier to coach than boys, because they’re eager to learn. They’re very competitive, and they always want to get better.

What are some things you emphasize as a coach?I learn from watching other coaches. Eventually, you pick up methods that you want to incorporate into your own program. Mostly, I make sure not to baby the girls. At the college level, you have to be frank with them about their performance and about their abilities.

How has this year’s team performed?Talent-wise we have a great team. We suffered some injuries early on that really hurt us, but we’ve won 5 of the last 6, so we’re finishing strong.

What do you feel has been your greatest coaching achievement at De Anza?Winning the conference is always the goal. When I came here the team was only winning about 3 or 4 games a year, and then in my third season we won the conference and went all the way to the Nor Cal finals. If we had won there we would have gone to the state championship, so I count that as one of our bigger achievements.

How do you recommend prospective athletes prepare if they want to make the team next season? It’s important to understand the game. A lot of softball players were taught by their fathers, who basically taught them baseball, but softball is an entirely different game. Physically, try to build up your speed, and work on the fundamentals. The girls out here can throw faster and harder than a lot of boys can, so you need to get yourself ready to compete at that level.