Interview with Michigan Baseball Head Coach Rich Maloney: Part 2ErocWolverine: Your team has been doing well in the Big Ten how do you keep these guys focused on the big prize after taking care of your rival handily and now facing a team like Indiana?
Rich Maloney: “That is always a concern of that from a coaches concern and one of the things I told our guys yesterday is what our goals were as a team at the beginning of the year. The importance of winning every game that we play especially going down the stretch because one of our goals was to host a regional. In order to do that we have to win the Big Ten and we have to get over forty wins in my opinion. Of course, the more wins we get than I can talk to them about being a number one or two seed and possible hosting a super regional. The only way we have chance to be a number one seed because of the RPI rating aren’t as high because of the teams we play in the north compared to the west and south teams. If we would have one those early games against some of the better teams we had a opportunity, but now we just need to win every game and value that every game is important because once you get into tournament one game can send you home. On any given day you have to be prepared and be ready to win.”
ErocWolverine: Hard to believe you have only two more weekends at home and it is just now getting nice for the fans to enjoy the weather and good baseball. To bad, the season starts so early?
Rich Maloney: “Yea a lot of obstacles are in the way for us at home with not having as many home games and then the first couple of weeks we have bad weather for the openers. I have told our kids that I believe when we get back to Omaha that we will have the biggest following of any team there. That includes the teams that are there every year because I believe it is going to be something special to support the team. I think when a team from the north actually breaks through and is in Omaha it will only make college baseball that much better.”
“The Michigan softball team broke through a few years ago, but their sport is a little different than ours because they can rely on one or two pitchers and for baseball you have to have a complete staff. Do not get me wrong what Coach “Hutch” has done is amazing and I feel like she is like Pat Summit of women’s college basketball.”
ErocWolverine: How does the layout of the stadium effect your team now especially the big wall in left field and will that affect your recruiting or how your team plays at home?
Rich Maloney: “Normally we do not play enough at home to use it for recruiting a certain type of player since we have twenty-one home games and thirty-five away games. We want a good balance with a combination of parts not just one or the other. We are going to try and recruit speedsters for the top and bottom of the order and have guys that can have power from the third through six spots.”
“Regarding the wall I think it will be a big advantage because most college ball team haven’t played with that kind of wall and once we start playing on it more I think it could be a huge advantage. Already we have seen it because against Eastern Michigan one of their outfielders ran close to the wall and it bounced off the wall and bounced off and our guy got a triple out of it instead of holding us to a single like we hope to take advantage of the wall.”
ErocWolverine: I know it is early and coaches like to take one game at a time, but how does the early loses affect your team for the post season ranking wise and also did it teach your team about being mentally prepared each game you play no matter who is your opponent?
Rich Maloney: “Of all the NCAA sports, I believe playing baseball in the north has the biggest disadvantage along with of course softball as well since we are playing at the same time. It would be great if we could start our season two weeks earlier to be able to play at least another series at home or bring in some bigger programs for non-conference games like a Arizona State or that kind of caliber instead of always going to their place to play. We do not worry about it and just try to win. In the off-season, we talk to people about the challenges of a northern school having to play that many games on the road. In addition, how that might affect our players with having the challenges of being at a university like Michigan with the players schooling. We were gone off and on for over a month because of our schedule at the beginning of the season and some of these southern schools go away for a long weekend and they think that is to long.”
ErocWolverine: How will the new facilities benefit your program in the off-season along with getting top recruits to come to Michigan?
Rich Maloney: “We cannot change the weather so it will be tough to bring an elite western or southern kid to Michigan along with having the coaches spend so much time trying to get a kid from there that likely will be tough to bring them to Michigan. My focus will still be the same as when I got here and that is get the best kids in the Midwest. We can do that and then supplement our needs by going out of the area when needed. What is will really do is make the kids when they come here walk into the locker room and say WOW. When they walk into the ballpark and see one of the best college places to play they are going to see a place they will want to play. Then in the off-season, the kids will be able to go hit anytime they want with our video projection-hitting machine that will pay off. They will be able to develop all year round now and that will be a huge positive. I do not see to many negatives for any kid that walks on campus with the facilities and the great academics we have at Michigan along with the support the administration has put forward to the baseball program. I would think most kids would look at Michigan as a viable option to continue their college education.”
ErocWolverine: Will your players start working out with Mike Barwis or one of his assistant trainers in the off-season or use their type of training?
Rich Maloney: “First of all Mike is bringing something to the table that is very positive and cutting edge and we have always wanted to be progressive in that area. We have been limited to some degree because of how the strength training was set up at Michigan. Now this has many of us coaches have hoped for that we could at least be innovative. I think Mike is bringing that to the department.”
“Who is going to be helping us right now the university is having some outside sources to come in for the non-football teams right now and analyzing where we are at right now. After they analyze several things we are in the process of some changes, bring in some innovation, and put us at cutting edge. I think Mike has brought in a new energy that has been positive and that has spilled over to the coaches. He will be solely being concentrating on football and probably his staff as well. Quite honestly, that in itself is such a huge responsibility with this university. We will probably have somebody else with similar ideas. Mike might oversee the entire program and help get everybody under one program, but his efforts will be on football. There is such huge pressure and expectations on the football program and their energy need to be focused on that in my opinion.”
ErocWolverine: How does the summer camp help in recruiting for baseball prospects?
Rich Maloney: “Summer camp really helps the younger kids to get on the radar. All the kids now are going to the showcases where all the top players go and get in front of hundreds of coaches instead of one camp with one coach. The summer camps do help and find some kids, but not like a summer camp for football. Do not get me wrong we find several talented kids through camp, but for the most part the summer camp is where we get kids on our radar for the future.”
written by ErocWolverine
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