Texas Tech University Athletics
Coach Teresa Wilson No Stranger To The Spotlight
February 13, 2006 | Softball
Feb. 13, 2006
In a university that possesses such highly-touted, hall of fame coaches such as Bobby Knight and Marsha Sharp, other very successful coaches at Texas Tech could be overlooked. Little to some Tech fans knowledge, it has a living, breathing monster of a head coach leading its softball team.
Teresa Wilson, a name that her peers say is synonymous with respect and winning, is in her second year at Tech.
Wilson came to the Hub City from the University of Washington after leading the Huskies for 11 years. In her tenure at Washington, she led the team to 10 straight NCAA tournament appearances, six NCAA Women's College World Series appearances, and 2 national championship game appearances, as well.
Before Washington, Wilson was the coach at the University of Oregon and before that, her career kicked off with two years head coaching with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Each stop was marked with success.
Over 20 years since she started her career, Wilson now finds herself at Tech looking to turn around yet another program and bring them into the national spotlight.
When asked about the decision to come to Tech, Wilson, modest as always, said it was all just a natural process.
"I don't think there was much difficulty in transitions," Wilson said. "I don't think any different than someone who's looking to garner a promotion in any company."
Wilson is open to the challenge of rebuilding a program and delivering them national recognition. She's been successful so far and Wilson said that another opportunity arose here at Tech and she's looking to take full advantage of it.
A coach in any sport, who is as successful as Wilson, will have the spotlight not too far away. With that spotlight pressure often arises. Wilson disregards that notion.
"Pressure is something that you feel when you look at things the wrong way," Wilson said. "There is no pressure, there's opportunity." "I've said for 20 years in this business that I grew up on a farm, so there's always a tractor and a radiator cap waiting on me if coaching doesn't work out," Wilson added playfully.
After joining the Red Raider softball team late last year, Wilson said she is excited for her athletes to get this season underway. She said last year they were just trying to lay a foundation for the future and that this season is just going to add to that.
"This group has now had all fall and winter to actually put our philosophy into practice and I think for them to get the opportunity to go out and compete now is exciting," Wilson said.
Wilson and her Red Raider squad started up their season this past weekend in Florida against Jacksonville, Southern Illinois, and the University of Central Florida. That road trip is just one of many the Red Raiders will endure this season.
The team will make journeys to Albuquerque, Wichita, Tucson and Palm Springs, just to name a few. Along the way, they will play some of the nation's premiere teams. The team will finally get back to Lubbock at the beginning of April to take on Texas A&M.
Wilson said that when you seek national recognition like they are, you have to go out and play the best.
"In doing that, you either rise to the occasion and meet that level of competition," Wilson said, "or you get a lot of great information to let you, your staff, and players know what you need to do to be in that upper echelon of teams."
To qualify for postseason play, some believe that a very high winning percentage is almost deemed a necessity. However, Coach Wilson said that if the team finishes with a record around .500, they should qualify for postseason play due to the incredible strength of their schedule.
While getting there won't be easy, Wilson said that any load the Red Raider softball team will endure, will be a shared load.
"We really don't have one superstar," Wilson said. Wilson said that they do not have one senior in either the infield or the outfield. She said that brings a level of comfort to the team in knowing that there is no need to replace anyone immediately and that their time last year and this year should yield an even better season next year.
In her coaching years, Wilson has endured the aches and pains of the coaching profession. With every move she makes, she encounters something new each time.
With that in mind, "It's quite a difference going from the northwest to Lubbock," Wilson said.
Wilson said that Seattle and Eugene are both very green, mountainous, and have lots of water and that Lubbock was quite the opposite. She said, however, that Lubbock's weather is a lot more conducive to softball.
The thing, however, that Wilson points to above all else that Lubbock does to separate itself from the others, is how everyone is such supporters of Tech.
"It's a wonderful community and the people take an interest in the athletes," Wilson said. "Everyone's proud of the student-athletes here at Texas Tech and I think that's something to be highly valued in any collegiate atmosphere."
