Coaching
RESUME
UNITY REED BASEBALL
When I got the job in late 2018, the program was in a bad place. In the three previous years they had a record of 5-56, and had not had a winning season since I graduated in 2009. They had not gone to a regional tournament since 2012 and there were multiple locker-room issues in the previous year. The facility was also not in the best place as seen below. The infield was overgrown with weeds up to the knee. The baselines were balding and the mound was a clump of dirt with weeds on it. I do not mean to dump on the previous administration however, I think it is important to see where we started.
AUGUST 2018
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AUGUST 2020
CREATING A CULTURE
IMPROVEMENTS
The most important thing to do as a head coach is to create a culture. I think culture reflects the coaching staff and that is why I always try to be the hardest working person guy on the field. I think we were extremely successful in creating a culture at Unity Reed. I would say that my culture is based on family, pride, hard work, and intelligence. All the players know my parents, I hired my brothers as coaches, and my assistants fiancés were involved on game days. Again we model what we want from our kids. Similarly hard work and intelligence were modeled by the staff and we encouraged the students to ask why. Pride was tougher as success was hard to come by early on and the students had no experience with it on the field. We began with fundraising so that we could have matching helmets, jackets, and undershirts as well as new uniforms. We made everything uniform, as a team. Next, we started on our facility, trying to give the players a place that they could be proud of and a place they built. This pride translated to the field as our season progressed. We also retired the number of a former player who was drafted by the Orioles. This helped the kids see that things were within there reach and instilled pride in tradition.
TEAM IDENTITY IMPROVEMENTS
The first thing I will always do as a new head coach is order a new set of helmets and decals. The importance of looking like a team is so important, looking like you belong. For years SJHS had a misfit of hoodies, helmets, jackets, everything and I think it was a mistake. As soon as I got to Unity Reed we mainstreamed the logos and got new uniforms, designed by students. We also got everyone the same helmet, socks, undershirt, belt, and hat. We looked the part and after few weeks we started to walk the walk as well.
FIELD IMPROVEMENTS
It obviously helps to have put yourself through college by working on a grounds crew and having a brother who worked for both the Pirates and the Mets. BUT, we have done a ton to improve the field at Unity Reed HS. To the point that we played a game last year after we got 1" of rain 15 minutes before first pitch (vs Patriot). As you can see from the pictures above we took over a rough field. We reclayed all of home and the pitchers mound. We replaced all base anchors and sprigged the outfield with Bermuda. The most shocking thing to me is how much the kids get into it. They loved doing field work and even came up with new ideas to spruce up for game day.
OFF SEASON
Off season workouts were a big part of our program and consisted of three seasons for us; summer, fall, and winter. Summer season we would make sure students interested in college were playing travel and/or tournaments. Coach Halsey ran our throwing program to condition and strengthen arms and all other coaches were available for 1 on 1s or small group instruction at the field. This way everyone gets there planned time off and everything goes smooth. Fall season we typically offered a local travel team for anyone looking for a cheap alternative to playing travel. We would play other high schools in the area. A typical week would have two lifts, a full practice, a position practice, and a game, as well as a DH on Saturday. Winter would typically be two days of hitting, throwing program, and conditioning and four days of lifting. Lifts would typically be two days after school and two days before.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS
One of the most biggest things that I wanted to do when I started out was to not only make a difference in young men's' lives but help them make a difference in others. I try to do this in the classroom but especially on the field. At least until COVID we were doing many projects including Opening Day parking at GMBL, guest coaching travel ball teams, and most recently a weekly mentorship program at Ellis Elementary that every player was required to participate in. We also had plans to host free clinics at URHS this summer.
COLLEGE RECRUITMENT IMPROVEMENTS
One of the things that I have tried to improve on the most is helping student athletes get to the next level. We have started to mainstream our video creation for our players that has helped a lot. The last player to go on to the next level graduated in 2015. In our first year 2 of our 4 seniors went on to play in college. This past year even with COVID, we had 3 of 5 playing at the next level and one playing club at UVA. This is one of the accomplishments I am most proud of because it was the area I was most uncertain about.
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS
The biggest change that I and my staff have been able to make is to the facility. In just over two years, including COVID, we have been able to complete the following projects:
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New Tarps
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Replace Home and the Pitchers Mound
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Rebuild the Mound with Clay
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Create a Visitor bullpen
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Powerwash entire facility
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Paint Dugouts and other buildings
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Sprig the Outfield
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Get new storage container
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Turf Bullpens, Dugouts, and Cage
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New Speaker System
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New Base Jewels
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New Full Outfield Windscreen
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Concession Stand Remodel
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PARENT INVOLVEMENT
The best thing about coaching at Unity Reed other than the kids was the parents. I had the most supportive parents. Half of the improvements mentioned above would have been impossible without them. While we do not have a boosters the parents started a group to make sure they supported the kids. They got all gameday meals donated, helped run social media accounts, did many jobs on gameday, and helped fundraise lots and lots of money. The kids were able to raise close to twenty thousand dollars in about 15 months and that is in an environment that they cannot just ask family members. They were out selling to family and friends and asking businesses to support. The parents made it all possible and you can see the results.
Baseball
Baseball has always been my first love. I have had many jobs associated with the game and am seeking a job as a head baseball coach.
Background
I was a four year letterman and three year starter at Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, Virginia. Coming out of high school I was lightly recruited by the Air Force Academy and the University of Pennsylvania. I made a difficult decision to attend Virginia Tech and end my playing career. While at Virginia Tech I worked at Lane Stadium and the rest of the VT athletic facilities as a groundskeeper for the athletic department. During my last year in Blacksburg I was able to teach history at Blacksburg High School. I was also able become an assistant coach with both JV and Varsity Baseball.
Blacksburg
While I was a student teacher at Blacksburg, I was able to coach JV baseball as an assistant. My duties included running the infield, making calls for bunt coverages as well as first and third calls. I also coached first base and threw batting practice. We finished the year 11-3. When the regular season was over I coached Varsity. My duties included keeping notes on at bats in order to recommend pitches. We made it to the State Quarterfinals where we were defeated 3-2.
Osbourn Park
I was the JV head coach at OP for two years. During those two years we had a record of 21-12. At OP the JV and Varsity teams work very closely together including many joint practices. During my two years as head JV coach I worked with the catchers and infield predominately, both Varsity and JV. I coached third and was in charge of all communication and coordination with student athletes and parents. I set up meals, study halls, practices, and was in charge of the weight room. I created my own lineups and ran the team. I was also in charge of keeping the field in shape. I had complete autonomy from the coaching staff and worked closely with the AD, including on other fields. I oversaw a complete mound rebuild, bullpen rebuild, built a visitors bullpen mound from scratch, sodding of the infield, mowed, painted numbers for senior night, oversaw multiple tournaments and game prep every game for three years. My first two years while being the head JV coached I also coached in over 10 Varsity games each year. My last two years I was a Varsity assistant. I took over the infield entirely and worked with pitchers pregame.
12U NOVA Show
During the spring of 2016, while I was the head JV coach I was also put in charge of a Virginia Stars affiliate the NOVA Show. While it was challenging to balance both and Varsity games, both flourished. While inaugural teams of organizations usually struggle, we were runner-ups to two of the six tournaments we played in and we won at least one game in every tournament.
Colangelo Baseball Camps
I volunteered a lot of my time of the past four years working numerous camps for young little leaguers. I have done camps with all but one of the head coaches in the district and most of them in the county. These camps bring joy to many young players all over the county. I served as an infield and hitting instructor. I have also worked for Colangelo Baseball as a paid instructor. These camps are more rigorous and detail focused creating a new challenge that I have enjoyed.
Basketball
For the past four years I have had the privilege of coaching under one of the best coaches in the area. I was surprised that he wanted me to coach for him, being a "baseball guy". He convinced me by telling me, "coaching is coaching". The sport did not matter to him. As it turned out, this was one of the most challenging and rewarding things I have ever done in my coaching career. I was forced to reevaluate my strengths and weaknesses in order to redefine what I thought it meant to be a coach. I have realized that it is all about relationships.
During my time as the Varsity assistant coach at Stonewall, I had many differing and ever expanding responsibilities. These responsibilities ranged from conditioning, creating and executing weight lifting programs, coaching guards, running drills and practices solo, breaking down game film, recording stats, reporting stats and scores to media, maintaining student scholastic achievement, running fundraisers, and scouting other teams. Knowing my desire to manage my own program one day, Coach Lawrence opened the door to not only coach but help him manage his program. I hope I have contributed as much to that program as I have gotten out of it.
For four years in college I had the unique opportunity to work on the Virginia Tech grounds crew. When I got there, I was told by the baseball coach that there were no walk-on tryouts but I wanted to stay close to the game and learn new skills. Working on the grounds crew I worked every Varsity soccer, football, softball, and baseball game for three years. During that time I got to know the other workers there like family and can always ask them for advice or even to come help with projects. In that time I learned how to: rebuild a mound, lay sod on a sports field, lay turf, lay pavers, run electric line, take daily care of fields, mow using different mowers, clay an infield, create an artificial mound, pour concrete, build fences, and much more. Even though I did not play college ball I was still around the game and learning useful skills that I can now apply to your program. My brother, who would be on staff, majored in Turfgrass Management and teaches it at Brentsville HS. He has also worked for the Mets, Pirates, and Steelers. Below is a video of what he has been able to accomplish at Brentsville in one year.
References
James Rowson
James Rowson was one of my first friends. Growing up as a three year old in my father's dugout in the Bronx. James was my favorite player because he was the best. Over the years we have stayed in contact but James helped initiate my love of the game and continues to inspire and assist in my coaching journey. After graduating from Mount St. Michael in the Bronx, NY, James was drafted by the Seattle Mariners. He played professionally for four years before making the transition to coaching. He has spent time as the hitting coordinator for the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees. He served three years as the big leagues hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins and just finished his first season as the bench coach for the Miami Marlins.
Contact Info: (813) 597-3692
Marcus Lawrence
I have been coaching for Marcus Lawrence for the past four seasons. He is an amazing coach who challenged me to do more and more each season. Marcus graduated from Gar-Field high school before continuing his career playing club ball at the University of Virginia. He has coached college ball before settling in at Stonewall for the last 18 years. He has won two district titles and has been extremely successful in the development of young boys into college ball players.
Contact Info: (703) 365-2900
Mike Goforth
Mike Goforth was not only a co-worker at Viriginia Tech, he was a member of the Blacksburg High School baseball staff and a parent of one of the players I coached at BHS. Mike coached the middle school team while I coached the JV and at the end of the year Varsity team. He got to know me well as a coach because his son was a senior on the team and starting catcher.(Ethan now plays in the Pirates farm system) Mike works as Associate Athletic Director in charge of Sports Medicine at Virginia Tech, while I was on the grounds crew. He is in charge of all trainers and doctors on the Virginia Tech staff and oversees all athletes health related needs.
Contact Info: (540) 231-6410
