College of San Mateo softball coaches earn National Fastpitch Coaches Association Cal JC National Coaching Staff of the Year honor

Quigley-Borg staffed four assistant coaches this season: Dale Bassmann, Toby Garza, Matt Griminger and Shelly Alifano. And the Bulldogs have already added two new coaches for the 2022 season, CSM alumnae Lauren Quirke and Allie Stines.

“They just really care about the people coming into our program,” Stines said of what makes the CSM coaching staff great, “and really care about where we need to go, whether it’s life or whatever.”

CSM is riding a streak of seven straight appearances in the California Community College Athletic Association state championships, a legacy of which Stines and Quirke — both recognized as NFCA All-Americans — were party to in 2017 and ’18.

The Bulldogs are still in search of the program’s first state title.

“They’re after such a bigger goal and mission, which is to get a state championship,” Stines said. “And they’re not going to be satisfied until they get there.”

While the CCCAA hasn’t held a postseason for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Stines and Quirke got the opportunity to share their championship with Quigley-Borg in 2021 as the two players were centerpieces as transfers at Southern Oregon University, this year’s NAIA national champions.

Quigley-Borg made the trip to Columbus, Georgia to surprise her former players during the tournament. Five CSM transfers played in the NAIA championship round, including Southern Oregon junior Riley Donovan and Oregon Tech juniors Aubrie Businger and Mackenzie Driscoll. And with the June 2 winner-take-all finale going into extra-innings, it was Donovan who hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth of the decisive 7-5 victory.

“For her just to get her money’s worth was very well worth it,” Stines said. “I’m glad we were able to pull it off for her.”

A former assistant coach of the great Tom Martinez in 2004 and ’05, Quigley-Borg took over the program the following year and has gone on to record a .797 winning percentage through 15 seasons. And on May 1 in a 5-1 victory at Modesto Junior College, she recorded her 500th career win.

Beyond the numbers, Quigley-Borg’s passion for the game is the foundation of her winning tradition, said Stines, a two-time All-American, who recalled a rare hitless game during her CSM career. In going 0 for 4 at Ohlone College as a sophomore April 24, 2018, the career .465 hitter was robbed of a hit by left fielder Selena Gomez.

Stines said she was so mad while running up the first-base line she couldn’t help expressing her frustrations — until Quigley-Borg utilized a little coaching vibrato to encourage her to put her game-face back on.

“She yelled so loud I swear the tears were about to go back into my head,” Stines said.

Fostering competitive players is one side of Quigley-Borg’s coaching persona. But there’s a reason why former players such as Quirke and Stines can always come home to the Bulldogs family.

“Any time you were able to get a ‘good job’ from her, you knew it was genuine,” Stines said. “And it was hard to come by. … She demanded excellence every day from us, and we were never at that point yet. There was just work to be done every day. It was all from a place of caring and wanting us to improve … and continuing to improve. So, you knew when you got it, it was really special.”