USF’s Ken Eriksen closing in on career win No. 900

He views milestones as mini-job hazards. Ken Eriksen, who has encountered an assortment of them in two decades as USF softball coach, sees them as a distraction.

Case in point: his 900th career victory, which should arrive in mid-February.

"I don't think about it," Eriksen, embarking on his 22nd season as Bulls coach, said Tuesday afternoon. "And I'll be honest with you, sometimes it's a burden when you get to talk about it, because it takes away from what we're trying to do that day."

During his obsessive quest for the "perfect practice," Eriksen has stumbled into hallowed territory. Only 51 NCAA coaches (all levels) have reached the 900-win mark. Among active coaches, Eriksen (895-460-1) ranks 19th on the career victories list.

A USF alumnus, he has averaged more than 42 wins a season — with one College World Series berth — since being handed the keys to the proram in 1997. If he can maintain that level of success another few springs, he'll hit 1,000 some time in 2020.

"When they happen they happen, and I get it. And it's nice to celebrate it with your university because they've all been at one place, and that's rare too," said Eriksen, whose team opens the season Feb. 8 at home against Illinois State.

"But it says a lot about the teams from 1997 all the way through 2017 and beyond. They're all part of that type of stuff, and they all share in those types of things. I've been fortunate to be in one place at a long time. And all these types of things you start talking about, after how many years in one place, it's just because of longevity."