Conversations with College Coaches: Grinnell College
In our latest interview, Woody Wingfield spoke with Coach Tim Hollibaugh from Grinnell College. This is our first interview with a coach from a Division III program. The Grinnell College baseball team, located in Grinnell, Iowa, plays in the Midwest Conference. Hollibaugh is the Head Coach of the Pioneers and provided some insight on his baseball program and college.
1. How long have you been coaching? How long at Grinnell?
I’ve been coaching at the college level for 20 years, 17 of those at Grinnell. I also coached two years of Babe Ruth Senior League baseball.
2. Who are some of your mentors or coaches that you look up to?
The first was my high school coach, Jim Turner, who is in the Indiana High School Hall of Fame. He was a great person that led our team in a very positive manner. Second, my coach at Hanover College, Dick Naylor, gave me the opportunity to begin coaching at the college level after I graduated. He’s now in the ABCA Hall of Fame. Finally, I coached for two years under Ed Meyer at DePauw University. He taught me how to recruit and work at a great academic institution.
3. What is the first thing about your school and program that you’d want a recruit to know about?
Number one is going to be the academics. Grinnell is a great institution. You simply cannot overlook the importance of academic preparation. We have to attract the best and brightest in terms of the classroom and admitability. The next thing I want recruits to know is that we’re a program on the rise and that we can offer the best of both worlds to a student-athlete. Back in August, we moved into a $92 million athletic complex that offers a brand new natatorium, a field house with 3 indoor batting tunnels and an 8,000 square foot weight room. We’re really trying to compete on a national level.
4. What do you look for in a prospective recruit on the field? Off the field?
On the field, athleticism is something we really value. We like to steal bases, teach defense and are always looking for pitching. That’s how you stay in the game. We have five coaches that can help an athlete get better in terms of overall skill level. Off the field, we look for the same values that Grinnell College is looking at. Our recruits can’t just be “jocks.” You have to be well-rounded and have some depth on your resume. We also like to see service in the community or the high school.
5. How does video footage help you with the recruiting process?
It gives us a good idea of the athletic ability that we’re looking for. It’s a good way to evaluate mechanics. I utilize video to learn about new kids and to follow up with kids that have been recommended to me.
6. Grinnell is a very tough school academically, so can you give some insight on how your players balance academics and baseball?
Grinnell has a student to professor ratio of 8:1. If players are struggling, they will have access to their professors on any subject. We also have free labs that are designed to get students some additional tutoring from upper classmen or professors. Basically, there are unlimited resources for catching up or staying on top of your studies. We’re also a little fortunate since our guys do not miss much class time based on our ability to spread our season out and play predominately on the weekends. Overall, our team GPA is 3.28, so guys are getting it done when they get here.
7. Given the tough admissions standards, do you have any advice for a prospective baseball player looking to be recruited to a school like Grinnell?
Take your academics seriously, starting in the freshman year. From my perspective, if you’re a great student, you’ll have more options than if you were just a good athlete. Our counselors look for AP and honors courses, so if your school doesn’t offer them, take the highest level possible. I’d also recommend that you take the ACT or SAT more than once, since students tend to do better after the first time. Since we’re Division III, you want to do your best to qualify for the most merit aid.
8. Can you break down your fall practice schedule? What do you try to accomplish?
In the fall, we focus on two things: skills and drills. First, we try to fine tune our players’ mechanics. Second, we work on situational hitting and defensive schemes. We try to incorporate these early so that in the spring we don’t have to spend as much time on them. We also try to scrimmage as much as we can so that our freshman can get acclimated to the speed of college baseball.
9. What do you think of the new BBCOR bats?
It’s tougher for freshman to come in and hit—definitely more of an adjustment from high school. It’s amazing to see the ball travel less than it has in the past. Personally, I like it because it makes that game more pure. I’m a big defense guy, and it’s going to be the name of the game moving forward. Sure, it’s not as exciting, but it’s better for the game and I appreciate that.
10. Is there anything you would like to add about your assistant coaches, recruits, parents, or program that we have not asked you about?
We’ve got myself and Ben Cooprider that played at the Division III level. Nate Smith played NAIA baseball. We also have two coaches in Casey O’Rourke and Bryn Henderson who played at the Division I level. Overall, we’ve got a good mix of backgrounds that have helped our players get better. They give good perspective to recruits on playing here versus Division I. It just makes for a positive experience for our players in their relationship with our coaching staff.
