Hired to start the McMurry softball program on Dec. 6, 2016, David McNally has waited an awfully long time for this moment.

McNally, a former McMurry baseball player who had served as the Abilene High softball coach before taking on his current challenge, led his first official spring practice last week. And his War Hawks will play the first games in school history on Feb. 2, when they host Trinity for a doubleheader.

That twin bill will mark the first of many milestones this season for McNally and a McMurry squad that will be making history each time it takes the field in 2018.

And in some ways, it will be the culmination of a lifelong dream for McNally, who couldn't resist the call back to his alma mater when it was announced in October 2016 that McMurry would be adding a softball program.

"McMurry is the key behind everything," McNally said. "This is the place that gave me everything. This is where I got my education. I played baseball here back in the day. So to come back here, it's huge.

"To get an opportunity like this — (McMurry athletic director) Sam Ferguson extended the offer for me to come coach here — that was a big deal. To be a part of history and be the person who gets to start something, it's exciting.

"Since I first started coaching softball 10 years ago, this is something that I think McMurry has been needing to add. I've wanted nothing more than to have a softball program at McMurry. And now that I'm actually going to be a part of it, it's pretty exciting stuff."

McNally, who graduated from Cooper in 2003 and McMurry in 2007, said he enjoyed his two years as Abilene High's head softball coach. And he wasn't looking to leave the north Abilene campus or the high school ranks, in general.

But the opportunity to not only coach at McMurry, but be the first-ever softball coach there, was too good to pass up.

"I loved Abilene High. I wouldn't have left Abilene unless this position opened up," he said. "This changed everything, it being McMurry.

"It wasn't that it was a college and I was just always trying to look to take a step up. That's not what it was. Once McMurry opened up the softball program, it was just one of those things I just knew I was going to apply for. Obviously, getting it and applying for it are two completely different things. But to me, starting it here was a big deal."

Starting a program from scratch comes with a unique set of challenges, but you don't need to tell McNally that. He's lived it in the 14 months since taking the job.

In addition to the obvious duties — recruiting an entire roster, securing a facility for practices and home games, developing and organizing a workout schedule, etc. — there were many tasks of equal importance that may not come as quickly to mind for outsiders.

Among those, creating chemistry, tradition and a sense of family with no formal foundation on which to build.

"We've had to force a lot of stuff," McNally said. "Generally, when you get in, you have a core group that already has some kind of foundation set. What we're trying to do now is actually create that foundation.

"Some of the upperclassmen that I went and got from some of the junior colleges around, I think they have been my biggest support here. They've gotten the kids to come over to their apartment, they've cooked them dinner, they've created those learning experiences with each other.

"I think on my side, I'm going to coach and I'm going to do that stuff, but I don't want it to be just about softball. Obviously, I'm here to win ballgames, but that's just a small factor of what we're trying to do here. What I want to do is I want to build an experience that's going to last them a lifetime, and that's how we're going to retain those kids here." 

McNally's approach is paying early dividends with his players. While the allure of helping to build a program from the ground up was a factor in the recruitment of most of the 21 players on McMurry's inaugural roster, it was the coach's approach and vision that closed the sale.

"I think it had a lot to do with Coach McNally," said junior outfielder Courtney Owen, a Bangs graduate who transferred to McMurry from Cisco College. "I've never met a coach that wanted to put together a team so genuinely. Before I even met him, I had heard such good things about him, and he just seemed so passionate about this team and so passionate about trying to get McMurry softball started. That's definitely one of the main things that led me here."

Junior first baseman Rachel Ripley, a Comanche grad who transferred to McMurry after playing junior college ball at McLennan J.C. and Cisco College, had a similar experience. She was set to attend nearby Tarleton State until McNally changed her mind.

"At first, I wasn't going to come to McMurry, but Coach McNally kept recruiting me and I was like, 'OK, I'll come give it a chance,'" she said. "I came and I loved the small community and just the opportunity to be a part of something new and fresh. That drew me, and I'm so glad that I took it honestly. I enjoy being here."

Owen and Ripley are two of nine junior college transfers on the McMurry roster, which features five juniors, four sophomores and 12 freshmen. Finding strong fits from the junior college ranks was a major priority for McNally, who wanted to create a leadership core for his freshmen to follow.

He said all of the transfers he brought in have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, setting a strong example for a group of first-year players that features eight all-state athletes.

Among the freshmen on McMurry's roster are Abilene High graduate Kayla Otis (catcher), Wylie grad Kamwren Jackson (pitcher), Clyde grad Belle Gomez (third baseman) and the Haskell duo of Laura Fuentes (pitcher) and Krysta Winegeart (outfielder).

After spending the past year building this roster, McNally said he's eager to see what it can do in games.

"I don't think a lot of people are going to expect a lot from us with it being a brand new program," he said. "But I want to compete with the top four teams in conference. I definitely think if everyone performs to the ability that we think they can, we'll compete with the top four.

"If we put in the time during this couple of weeks before we play, if we do the extra stuff outside of it, and these kids are motivated to put in the time, we're going to be pretty competitive."

McMurry will practice and play its home games at Red Bud Park this season and next. The school's plan currently is to build an on-campus facility in time for the start of the 2020 campaign.

But McNally's not concerned about that. He's spent more than a year waiting for this season to begin, and it's his team's play on the field — not the field on which it plays — that matters to him. 

"We need to come out here and we need to play," he said. "We don't need to be focusing on a field. A field is just a place. Our team is what's going to make everything."