POCATELLO, Idaho- After former head coach, Cristal Brown, stepped down after last season, Idaho State was on the hunt for another coach to take over the team and they found their guy in coach
Andrew Rich.
Coach Rich grew up in Fresno, Calif. His mother was a softball coach in his youth and he eventually went on to play baseball in high school and then in college.
"When I got done playing, I wanted to get into it (coaching) and so coaching softball seemed...interesting to me," said Rich. "I just love the sport and love making impacts in people's lives."
Richs' previous position was Associate Head Coach at Boise State University.
Rich hopes to build a family atmosphere in his first season as head coach.
"It starts with getting to know our players not just on the field but getting to know them off the field," Rich said.
One of the four pillars of Richs' culture that he hopes to instill is joy. The Bengal coach explained that he hopes, whether it is a game or practice, everyone comes out to the field ready to work and have fun."
"We find the balance between business and fun," Rich said. "I think that goes a long way towards us having success and building (players) up as good citizens of the world."
Rich and his staff hope to build the players into not only good softball players, but also good human beings.
"The games this fall are going to be huge." Rich said. "We can learn from each other and see how we handle situations and how we react to things."
As the first games of the season approach, Rich had three things that he wanted his players to show: "I want to see us play aggressive, confident (and) bring a ton of energy." Rich said.
The Idaho State softball team faces off against Snow College in a double header Saturday September 18 at 1:30 and 4:00pm at Miller Ranch Stadium.
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