UNLV SOFTBALL ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Mindy Craigie (Garcia) (1989-90), Certified Medical Assistant – Mercy General Hospital Cardiology (Sacramento, CA)

During the Sacramento City College softball team's run to back-to-back California Community College Athletic Association championship appearances in the late 1980s– which culminated with its first title in 1988 – hometown product Mindy Craigie became a coveted recruit as a catcher in the eyes of NCAA Tournament staple South Carolina and a then-Division II powerhouse Cal State Northridge. Unbeknownst to her, however, she also landed on the radar of legendary UNLV head coach Shan McDonald during her sophomore season of JUCO ball due to her offensive prowess.

"I was MVP of the state tournament that year, which as a catcher was really out of the norm.  We did pretty well there. And then Shan [McDonald] came out to a tournament in Bakersfield that I was playing in. I didn't even know she was there and my coach didn't tell me about that. But I was catching and they already had Sherie [Cornell], so I was wondering 'why would they [UNLV] be interested in me?' I guess she liked my bat. I had a pretty much .300-plus batting average my whole career. I wasn't a home run hitter or anything. I was mostly just a contact hitter, had a lot of doubles, but I was always consistent and had a low amount of strikeouts."

The interest led to Craigie making a recruiting visit to Las Vegas, which brought with it a less-than-stellar first impression of the heat and prospects of switching positions. Ultimately, though, UNLV's close proximity to home and chance to be on campus during the Runnin' Rebels' pinnacle of success beat out joining South Carolina's softball program.

"She told me, 'I really like your bat and I'm sure we could fit you in at second base' and she pitched the basketball team, of course. I ended up being there when they won the national championship against Duke. She brought me in for a recruiting trip during the summer time and it was so hot when I got there. One of the girls showed me around and we went out. I remember we were on the strip at midnight and it was still like 100 degrees. That wasn't ideal. But I'm really close with my family, so that was one of the main reasons I picked UNLV, to stay close to home. Also, Shan talked about and I recognized the talent that we were getting, how the team was progressing and getting better. I just wanted to be a part of that and thought it was a really cool opportunity."

With the decision to come to the desert, Craigie suddenly found herself counted among a roster on the rise loaded with talent that included Rebel All-Americans Tricia Reimche, Christine Parris and Lori Harrigan. UNLV would show vast improvements during her two-year stint with the Scarlet and Gray, as it went from 18 to 32 wins in 1989 and earned its first-ever trip to the Women's College World Series by her second year in 1990.

"We had a lot of speed and a lot of consistent hitters. My first year, we did ok. We did a lot better than in previous years. And then my senior year is when we boomed. It was just so awesome and everything clicked. Of course, Shan brought in Tricia [Reimche] who ended up taking over at second base when I got injured. During my senior season, I got the chicken pox during the last week of our regular season. Luckily, I still got to go to the regionals and was still able to go on to play there and in the Women's College World Series as well. That second year we really blossomed. I felt very privileged to be there because of the teammates I played with."

Although she was playing away from her accustomed catching position and endured illness and injury, the success achieved by the Rebels placed Craigie back in a familiar spot of achieving firsts with her teams. Along with its first WCWS appearance, UNLV grabbed its first WCWS victory in a 5-2 win over Kent State in 1990.

"During my career, in both places that I went, we had major team milestones. Sacramento City's first state title and then UNLV's first Women's College World Series. I fit in and loved it there. I would do whatever Coach wanted me to do. My first year, I played second base pretty much the entire year. And then I was kind of a utility player during my second year. I did a lot of designated hitting. As a recruit from the JUCO level, I don't have the stats that everyone else does. But I do know that I was a vital part of that team. As far as scoring runs and my batting average, I feel I did well in that sense. I knew my position and role. I did what was asked of me and it always seemed to work out well."

Now 30 years removed from the program's unprecedented run to college softball's biggest stage, she still remembers her biggest moment as a key reserve in the postseason.

"I really only remember one of the games. We were pretty much out after a few games, but I just remember walking in and I had so much confidence. I liked to play in front of a crowd – I was just that type of player who was hyped up by that sort of thing. I do remember that I was kind of struggling at the plate a little bit. But in one game, against Florida State, I hit a double and we scored. We weren't really scoring runs – I mean these were the top teams and being our first time there we were a bit inexperienced. I remember that just getting a hit, I was so excited because that is huge. Only eight teams got that far, so it was a blast. As a little girl, you have a goal to get to that stage and I'm very proud of the fact that I did that."

Even more than the memories she made on the softball diamond, Craigie still vividly remembers the life lessons the coaches at UNLV left her with.

"I grew up a lot when I was at UNLV. Responsibility was a big part of my learning. We had curfews and Shan would pop in every once in a while – since we lived off campus. My roommate was Lori [Harrigan]. It really prepared us for life overall. Being on your own is hard and it's different. You have to be disciplined because nobody is watching you and they're not always with you. The fact that we had such great coaches who were on top of things made it a lot easier for me and everyone else on our team to do well both academically and on the field. Shan, Brian, and LeAnn, they were great coaches. Overall, it was a great experience and I wouldn't change anything about it."

This dedication and commitment of balancing sport and academics served her well as she set out to enter a different kind of field – medical to be exact – in which she now works as a medical assistant at Mercy General Hospital in her hometown of Sacramento, California. Although not her original area of study, Craigie credits UNLV for giving her the chance to experiment and steer her in a different career direction.

"I'm a medical assistant for Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento in Cardiology. I also have my x-ray technician license as well, but I'm not using that currently. When I got back from UNLV, I ended up going back to school and ended up getting my MA certificate and x-ray license at Sac City College. The x-ray program was at one of the tech schools out here. I was working as a medical assistant and my employer actually paid for half of it, so that helped a ton. I was originally a social work major when I was there. I ended up not going down that path just because of the unpleasant things I had to see kids deal with when I went on an externship with a social worker."

Along with the acquired self-discipline she gained in the Las Vegas Valley, Craigie borrowed some of her coaches' tricks of the trade when the chance arose to coach back home at Folsom High School and for her former youth travel ball team – the Lady Magic.

"I coached a high school team for a couple of years with my sisters. I took a lot of the drills from them. There were certain things that I remembered. Drills that improved skills like backhanding ground balls, I remembered those the most. I recall that Shan used to smack balls at us so hard during practice. So, I brought a lot of stuff that most of the coaches didn't know about in certain situations. A lot of it was natural for me because I've done this for so long. Things would just come to mind from UNLV that we used to do."

As important as those takeaways were for her, she is equally grateful for the friendships made during her time as a Rebel student-athlete.

"I loved my decision to go there and I made a lot of great friends that I still talk to today. I started coaching for Lady Magic, the team I played for years earlier. We played a couple of tournaments out in Vegas, so I got together with Lori [Harrigan] and Dena [Baker] which was kind of cool. I have them on Facebook, too, and it's neat to see them on there."

Craigie's ties to the roots of Rebel softball as an alumna has led her to continually follow the team – which placed second in the Mountain West this past season – with hopes to make a return trip to UNLV to catch firsthand the strides being made under head coach Kristie Fox.

"I follow all the time. I was able to meet Kristie when I was at the last Alumni Game and she's amazing. I'm excited for them. I've even wanted to fly out there just to watch games because it's neat. It's my alma mater and it's nice to see that they're having success and getting better and better. I'm hoping to see them in a College World Series someday again."

-UNLV-