Q:What’s it like to be a baseball coach?

A: “I enjoy working with our players and helping them improve at the game of baseball, it’s exciting.”

Q: How did you become interested in coaching baseball?

A: “Well I’ve either played or coached baseball most of my life so I just have a real like for the game.”

Q: What do you enjoy most about coaching the baseball team?

A: “I like to see it when the kids succeed so when the players work really hard, they practice hard, and then they succeed in the game or in a practice. I just like to see the boys improve, I think that’s the best part of coaching baseball.”

Q: What values or life lessons do you aim to instill in your players?

A: “Effort and attitude. I think when the players bring a good effort and a positive attitude that it just shows that they can succeed, or helps them succeed, those are things you can take off the field.”

Q: How have the boys performed so far?

A: “So far we’re doing okay. We’ve been practicing really hard and playing our games pretty well. The results have been 2 and 2, so we have 2 wins and 2 losses. We have a really tough schedule this year so we’re hoping to get as many wins as possible.”

Q: How do you prepare the players mentally and physically for their games?

A: “When we practice we try to practice at game speed so that when we do play in the game the game is actually a little bit slower than our practices. The boys have an opportunity to know what the games are going to be like before we play the game. We practice hard so that the games are easy.” 

Q: How do you handle setbacks or losses during the season?

A: “Baseball is a game full of failures. Even when you’re really really good at baseball there’s a lot of times when you get out. So how you handle that adversity distinguishes who you are as a person and as a player. I always encourage the boys to take a moment to reflect quickly on what just happened but to flush it and move on.” 

Q: What strategies do you use to motivate the players?

A: “I like to think that I encourage the players and let them know that I believe in them. I like to let them know, ‘you can do this, I believe in you, your teammates have your back, try your best and things will work out for us.’”

Q: How do you juggle being both a teacher and a coach at the same time?

A: “It can be challenging at times for sure. This is my ninth year of teaching so at least I’ve been doing it for a while. It’s my eighth year of coaching here at East. It’s just a matter of prioritizing what needs to get done and having things laid out. It’s an extra job so it’s a lot of work.”

Q: How do you handle setbacks or losses during the season? How do you apply this to your coaching?

A: “Baseball is a game full of failures. So how you handle that adversity distinguishes who you are as a person and as a player. I always encourage the boys to take a moment to reflect quickly on what just happened but to flush it and move on. Mistakes are going to happen, it’s how you handle it. We try to teach them: flush it, move on, and wait for the next pitch cause you get another opportunity.”