Conversations with College Coaches: Youngstown State
Baseball Factory is privileged to work with programs from every level of college baseball. We strive to educate and guide our players when it comes to choosing the right school. In our latest interview, Jim Gemler spoke with Head Coach Rich Pasquale from Youngstown State. Youngstown is a Division I program out of the Horizon Conference.
1. How long have you been coaching? How long at Youngstown State?
I have been coaching 18 years in college either as an assistant or a head coach. At Youngstown State, I was hired on Oct 21, 2007. So I have been at Youngstown four years and I am going into my fifth season.
2. Who are some of your mentors or coaches that you look up to?
I look up to my Dad for what he represents as a man, father and husband. Ed Driscoll, who was my high school coach at Quigley Catholic High School. Jeff Messer, the Head Coach at Slippery Rock University. Brian Graham, Field Coordinator of the Minor Leagues for the Baltimore Orioles.
3. What is the first thing about your school and program that you want recruits to know about?
The first thing about Youngstown State that I want recruits to know is that during this important time in their life, we will develop them as men off the field and on the field. We are a program that will care about them during their time here.
4. What do you look for in a prospective recruit on the field? Off the field?
On the field: The proper skills in whatever position they play to help us win a Horizon League Championship. A player that plays hard, that wants to learn, wants to win and do whatever is asked of him to win a game for his teammates, whether it’s by getting a sacrifice bunt down, going from 1st to 3rd, etc. As a pitcher, coming in and shutting it down. Does he have the capability that if there is an error behind him, will he pick up his teammate and get out of a tough situation?
Off the field: I look for a player that respects people around him. Is he a person that looks at you in the eye? How does he treat his parents on his visit? Confident, but humble at the same time. We want people in this program that feel it’s not about him, but the program. Is he a good teammate?
5. How has video helped you in the recruiting process?
Video has helped in a way where it's enough to say I have to see this player in person. It saves some time, whether adding a player to a “must see” list or deciding that he will not help us win a championship.
Need Video? Get filmed at a Baseball Factory Premium Video Program and get started on your recruiting process.
6. Can you break down your fall practice schedule? What are you all trying to accomplish?
Our fall practice is like our spring training. We cover all plays and situations that can happen in a game. For example, a double to left center field gap with a runner at first: where does everyone go for cuts and relays? Bunt plays, first and thirds, etc. Offensively, we cover our hitting philosophy and continue to go over how important it is to advance runners. I really get excited with planning practice. We spend a lot of time to make sure there is a flow to what we want to accomplish each day. We go over bunting throughout early work (prior to team practice starting) and put that into a two or three inning bunt scrimmage at end of practice, where we are working on getting bunts down on the offensive end and defending different bunt situation on the defensive end. We have also had hitting the right side on the ground scrimmages, expressing the importance of moving the runner at second to third…it’s great stuff.
7. Do you have a strength and conditioning coach?
Yes, we have a strength and conditioning coach: Willie Danzer. Our players treat him as part of our staff. He is just as important as our pitching coach.
8. What can you tell us about your facilities?
We play and practice at Eastwood Field (the stadium for the short season team for the Cleveland Indians). It's an outstanding facility with a big scoreboard in which our players’ pictures are on the Jumbotron. We have a clubhouse down the right field line which has an office for the coaches, a home and visitor clubhouse with wooden lockers, a trainer’s room and an umpire’s room. New this year is our Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS). Coach Jim Tressel and his family gave one million towards the facility.
http://www.ysusports.com/information/facilities/watts
9. What part of the 2012 schedule/year are you looking forward to the most?
I am looking forward to game #1.
10. Is there anything you would like to add about your assistant coaches, recruits, parents, or program that we have not asked you about?
I feel we have a very experienced recruiting coordinator/pitching coach Eddie Marko. Also as a staff, we love to plan practice and see our players practice hard and develop. We feel we are a program that is getting better each year.
