BLOOMING PRAIRIE — When Ali Mach coached the Blooming Prairie softball team, she demanded excellence and her teams often provided it.

Mach recently resigned from her coaching position with the Awesome Blossoms due to not having enough time to coach now that she also works an athletic director and assistant principal at BP High School, but she’ll have a lot to reflect on when she looks back on her coaching career. Mach had an excellent 13-year run with BP as she coached the team to record of 212-100  overall. Mach guided BP to four Minnesota Class A state softball tournaments and and the team won the state title in 2013 after taking second in 2012.

Mach has plenty of memories on the softball diamond, including her first game as coach — which BP lost 1-0 to Triton.

“I remember being so bothered because we couldn’t score one or two runs,” Mach said. “There’s so many games I coached and every one was memorable. The icing on the cake was that state championship in 2013 because in 2012 when we lost the championship game I was so afraid that was our last shot.”

Mach relished her time in practice with the Blossoms as she was always pushing her teams to work hard towards getting better. Taking a team to four straight state tournaments is a tough task for any coach and Mach said she’ll always relish in that accomplishment. Mach credited her assistant coaches and volunteers for giving the program a lift as well.

“Our successes have been a result of a lot of hard work, trust, dedication, and a desire to always be better,” Mach said. “I feel lucky to have been able to coach for so many years and experience the success that we did. It was a total team effort and I loved every minute of it. No matter what I do later on, Everyone wants to win a state championship and that doesn’t come along easily. It’s something myself and those girls will always have. I was really fortunate to have those experiences.”

Mach took a half step back last season when she moved to co-head coach along with Lonnie Lembke, who is now the head coach of the BP softball team. By doing that, she was able to help out with the transition of the program. Mach feels Lembke is ready to take over as head coach.

“I left the program in capable hands and there’s still a lot of talent there. There’s a foundation to keep Blooming Prairie softball strong,” Mach said. “As much as I loved it, it was just time to be done.”

BP made the final four of the Section 1A tournament last season, but it wasn’t able to get to the finals. The Blossoms have much of that squad back this spring as Lembke hopes to pick up where Mach left off.

“I want them to win the games that they should be winning. I feel like we lost games last year that we should’ve won,” Lembke said. “[Ali’s] helped me along a lot. She’s a very organized and detail orientated person. I have big shoes to fill. She’s had a very successful program and her trophy case looks awful nice.”

Mach said she may get to a few games this spring, but with her other job duties it will be difficult. She is certain that she will miss being around the game she loves on a daily basis.

“I don’t think it will be an easy spring for me. I’m going to miss it a lot, both the highs and the lows,” Mach said. “Those relationships that you build with your players, if you’re not a coach you don’t understand that. With almost every single player in my program, there was a positive relationship there and you’re kind of like family forever.”

BP will open its softball season at Austin 4 p.m. April 3.