California native Jim Bacca looks to continue the rebuilding process as he embarks on his fifth season as head coach of the West Liberty University softball team.
While the Hilltoppers have yet to break into the upper echelon of the Mountain East Conference standings, six West Liberty players have earned All-Conference honors during Bacca's first four seasons at the helm.
That list is highlighted by Maggie Starr, who became the first Hilltopper in five years to earn first-team All-Conference honors two years ago and went on to be selected as the third baseman on the 2012 NCAA Division II All-Atlantic Region Team.
Bacca brought more than 20 years of coaching experience to the table when he arrived on the West Liberty campus to replace retiring Hilltopper diamond mentor Herb Minch.
He had cut his coaching teeth on the California amateur circuit, coaching all levels of travel ball from 10-under to 18-Gold. One of his travel teams won a 14-under NSA California state championship. He also coached at Riverbank (Calif.) High School and had a 5-year stint as head coach at Denair (Calif.) High School, leading Denair to an undefeated conference title in 2007.
The Hilltopper coach spent two decades working in law enforcement with the Turlock (Calif.) Police Department. Bacca started Turlock's K-9 program and moved up through the ranks from patrol officer to detective to sergeant in charge of the detective bureau before being injured and taking a medical retirement. He holds a bachelor's degree from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y. and a law degree from Humphrey's College in Stockton, Calif.
Bacca came to West Virginia in 2008 when he was hired as head softball coach and assistant professor and coordinator of the Criminal Justice program at Davis & Elkins. In his three seasons at D&E before coming to West Liberty, the Senators tripled their overall number of wins and doubled their total of West Virginia Conference victories. He coached three All-WVIAC players and one All-Region performer.
Jim and his wife, Kristina, have two daughters – Britne and Kortne – who each played softball at Davis & Elkins. Jim also has a married daughter named Lindsay. Kristina is actively involved with the WLU softball program and serves as Jim's assistant coach.
