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Open Letter from Softball
Head Coach Jim Maier
Open from Softball Head Coach Jim Maier Regarding the CSUDH Softball Program
September, 2009
As head coach of the Cal State Dominguez Hills softball program, I would like to introduce myself and my program. My name is Jim Maier and I will be entering my 10th year as head softball coach for the Toros.
For the past nine seasons, CSUDH softball has become one of the most successful Division II programs in the nation. CSUDH softball has been ranked in the Top 10 in the West Region and Top 25 nationally in five of the last six years. We have made the NCAA Playoffs for five out of the last seven years, and reached the Championship series of the Far West Region in 2006 after defeating the top-ranked team in the nation in the semifinals. This achievement came just one year after CSUDH won the CCAA Championship, earning the opportunity to host the program’s first-ever NCAA Far West softball regional. And thanks to the effort and support of my coaching staff and players, I was named the CCAA Coach of the Year.
We have averaged 35 wins a season since my staff and I arrived 10 years ago, including two 46-win seasons which are a first in the school’s 46-year history, but are still in the process of building a strong softball program with a commitment to developing people as well as a strong winning tradition. We are extremely interested in finding student-athletes who are very athletic and possess the work ethic and drive that match the intensity it takes to be successful.
The Toros play in the highly competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Conference with teams throughout California, and are the only Division II team in the Los Angeles and Orange counties, giving the majority of girls the opportunity to play in the presence of family and friends.
At CSUDH, we pride ourselves in having a highly-monitored student-athlete program, emphasizing academics. Study hall is mandatory, and our softball team has achieved a 3.1 GPA or higher each year. We also strive to develop a “caring family atmosphere” between players, coaches and family members, and emphasize a philosophy of commitment to team, and having a purpose and philosophy behind everything we do on and off the field.
As an organization, we instill in each of our members the need to show up and be in the moment, pay attention to detail, add value to the team, be accountable to each other and do something positive each day. We like to call these intangibles the “Five Absolutes for Success in Life.” A strong tradition is being built at CSUDH daily and, along with our work ethic and commitment to each other, we are teaching the loyalty it takes to be successful.
Our softball program is structured in such a way that our ladies can be student-athletes while still having time for part-time jobs and social lives. CSUDH has many majors available while specializing in the School of Education. The student-teacher ratio is 25:1, with a total enrollment of approximately 12,000 students. Tuition is relatively inexpensive, in comparison to many other universities. In addition, government financial aid is available to those who qualify and limited grant-in-aid funds are available for the softball program to distribute.
Finally, I wish to emphasize that we run a well-organized and structured program for the highly-skilled and dedicated softball player. If you are interested in becoming part of the CSUDH softball family and want to be part of something really special, please contact me so I may start the process of you becoming a Toro.
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