TicketsWith the 2018 baseball season weeks away and full team practice starting this Friday, GoBEARCATS.com sat down with Head Coach Scott Googins as he prepares for his first season at UC.
Q: What made you want to come to UC?
A: I think there are a lot of things. Initially, probably the facilities; that's probably the first thing that jumped out at me. When they had interest in me, I think that's a big part, too. When someone comes after you, courting you, so to speak. Meeting Mike Bohn and what his vision is for not only the baseball program, but athletics here, it really got me interested. And knowing the resources that we have, not just the facilities, but financially, too. When you look at the conference, that's a big piece of it because it is a conference that is very competitive. I always tell our guys, 'If you want to be the best you have to play against the best.' Not that the Big East wasn't, but this is another opportunity for me to see where I am at on a different level. There are a lot of things. Being familiar with UC, I think that's the other part. I've seen UC grow in the past 16 years, even while I was at Miami (Ohio); being here and seeing how campus has grown and Calhoun (Street) and a lot of the apartments and the student living and how campus has cleaned up now. I was fairly familiar with it and, when Mike and Luke [Fickell] came over, I wanted to be a part of it. Watching what the athletic department is doing, it was a good opportunity.
Q: What's the transition been like now that you've been here and have become acclimated a little bit?
A: The people here have been great. It's been a little overwhelming at times. I always say I'm a good swimmer, but I'm in the deep end and I'm not sure if I'm swimming deeper or if I'm coming towards shore. It's been a good transition. I think a lot of that is how the coaches and the administration has had open arms. I think the players have been really receptive. The guys have been really receptive to myself and the staff and trying to implement what we are trying to do. I think some of the things we've been trying to do are different. A lot of it is similar and building on what they already have because I think they are on the right path. There is a lot of success and big wins last year, whether it's No. 1 Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio State, and even in conference; there's a lot of pieces in place. The guys have been pretty receptive and I think that's made the transition a little bit easier, too.
Q: What are some of those things that you're trying to bring to the table and trying to implement?
A: I think that our hitting philosophy is different. A lot of people joke around and say, 'elevate and celebrate,' but it's not – we're not putting the ball on the ground, but we're not trying to hit fly balls either. So, our hitting style with Coach [Kyle] Sprague is new. We're also doing some stuff with our base running and trying to be a little more aggressive and put some more pressure on the defense. Coach [JD] Heilmann is bringing in some different stuff with the pitching. We sprinkle in maybe some stuff they haven't done in the past. So, those are some of the things that are a little bit different. Some other things, like discipline, are the same. My philosophy is that I'm here for the guys. Before, I maybe tried to control guys; now I'm just trying to lead them in the right direction and trying to nudge them and say, 'hey, this is what a good ball player does, this is what a good student does, and this is what a good person does.' Instead of having all those rules, we have standards. We may stub our toes and make mistakes, and there are times you may need to throw in the hammer, but we are in this thing together. This is our program. Let's take it forward in these parameters.
Q: What about your assistants?
A: JD [Heilmann] was with me my first couple of years at Xavier. I am really familiar with him and have stayed in contact with him. Being a UC guy, I think that's important. He's trying to make connections not only with our guys but with our alumni. I think it's important to get them back because there has been a lot of success here at UC from the past. I want to include those guys moving forward. He does a really good job with recruiting. I think that's one of his strengths. He knows a lot of coaches, knows a lot of players. He's well-connected in high school baseball and PBR and Perfect Game. He's a big asset that way. He's also a very good pitching coach. I told him that's one thing I want; when they say your name, you're not just a recruiter, but very good at developing guys. I think he does a really good job. He has a great idea what he wants to do with his staff. He doesn't abuse arms and makes sure we are maintaining and keeping guys healthy. With JD, again, familiarity with him, that's a big plus.
The same thing with Kyle [Sprague], with him coming with me from Xavier. A lot of stuff that we did there, I want to implement here. He's got a little more of the cutting edge on the hitting philosophy, which I like. It's more like the elite hitters, like a Josh Donaldson, like an Aaron Judge, those type of guys. If you just say, 'put the ball in the air,' I don't think it translates. There are some things mechanically that go in to it. He really understands the swing and he also does an unbelievable job with our infielders. He did a great job at Xavier with our guys. We fielded really well. I attribute that to him. He's really taken that here. UC was a really good fielding team in the past, but he's really worked with those guys in developing solid fundamentals with our infielders. I'm going to let him try to do a little bit of stuff with our team defense; let him run the position of it and take control of that, so he's excited to take on that. The familiarity with him has been awesome.
With Tony [Maccani], he's new. I met him a couple of year ago. He brings a great energy and he connects well with the guys. He has that pro background that gives him instant credibility with the guys. And he's a local guy, which I think is important. We have three guys from Moeller (High School) that are on the staff, so I think that's a unique deal.
Andy [Nagel] has been our glue guy. He's been here and he knows the lay of the land. He knows the travel and the budget and he's helped me out quite a bit with that. I don't know all the ins-and-outs with campus, but I really don't have to with Andy. There are things that he takes off my plate. I worry about the guys and about baseball. I don't have to worry about the travel and the budget. He's able to check that stuff for me.
The staff has been awesome. Even with Chris Stone and our academic people, he's done a great job with telling me who's doing what. Every week, he's giving me updates so we aren't getting blindsided by someone not going to class or something or not doing well – we're out in front of it.
Q: The team has talked a lot about what a tight-knit group they are and how they feel like a brotherhood. Have you seen that?
A: I have. I think it's interesting because I think a lot of that has to do with us having a lot of seniors. When you are with guys for four years, or three and a half up to this point, you travel, you live together, you eat together, you work out together. We have a great locker room, so they all hang out there together. They really do have that bond. It's a tight group. It's been very positive. They really care for one another, which is an awesome trait because they want to do what's best to win and to get better. They put their egos aside. It's been fun to watch. We have really good leadership. I think that's part of why our guys are tight. We've got away from the cliques; there's not really any cliques on the team. You have certain guys that want to hang out with certain guys, but for the most part, to me, they don't care who gets the credit, they just want to win. They want to be a part of the team and do what's right for UC. I would say that it really is a band of brothers, and that's what they talk about. I would say that is probably true.
Q: They also talked a lot about how they are being underestimated from the outside looking in and that they are really excited to turn heads this season.
A: Yeah, as a competitor, you want to be recognized. I think that is part of whatever you do; you take pride in what you do. You want to be respected. Even sometimes when you lose a game, you want to be looked at as, 'those guys played hard, respect those guys; they're a good team.' When you have nine teams in the conference, someone has to be voted last. Whatever motivates them. To me, that's not my motivation. Does it sting a little bit? Sure, but we want to try to be the best team we can be. We can't worry about what other people say about us. Years to come we could be in first place, but it's just preseason. I do like that chip on the shoulder, but, to me, if that's all you're worried about, you're going to wear yourself out with that chip. But I do know that is a motivation for them. I don't use it too much, but it is in the back of my mind. We have something to prove here. I think we are better than what we are projected, but we have to go out and do it on the field. You take pride and say, 'we are better than that,' but you have to compete and do it.
Q: The first team practice is Friday. What has you excited about that?
A: We've done the individuals the last couple of weeks and we just want to get everyone together. I think we've made a jump from the fall, which has been good. Coach O (Orlando Smith) with our strength and conditioning in the offseason – our guys are a little more physical. Our guys understand what we are trying to do. I'm just excited to get out there and start playing. We have three weeks until our first game and we are going to start that first practice out with a scrimmage to see where our pitchers are. We haven't seen them, and it's not going to be the end-all-be-all for this first one, but I've known they've done a good job with their throwing program. We will see how their arms are and see where our hitters are. We haven't seen live pitching since the fall and we've worked really hard on some different stuff, not only mentally, but with our swings, so we can see where we are at. To me, that's the anxiety, the unknown of where we are because I don't know our league. I know Houston, I know Tulane, but we haven't played them, so I don't know their style. I want to see what we're all about and where we are right now. We've talked about in the offseason what our identity is and how our style of play is. It's kind of morphing still. I like tough, blue-collar, hard-nosed guys, always hustling and playing hard. We're still trying to instill that and control what we can control. Also, we have to know what the other teams are doing. Friday, we are going to be able to see where we are at. We can keep working on what we need to do and our deficiencies, but then get ready for the season. It's been a while, but it's exciting to get started again. I think anytime you're ready to go, whether you're ready or not, in three weeks, you have to play another team. You might go out and take your lumps, but let's see where we stand and what we need to keep working on.
I'm excited for the year. I do feel there's a lot in place player and personnel-wise. I think we have good arms, I just don't know how guys handle in-game situations. Figuring out who's going to be our mid-relief, who's going to be our closer, who's going to be our starters. Hitting-wise, we are not really deep but the guys we have, I really like. We've got some good guys in the right spots. We have to stay healthy. I think we are going to play defense well like we have in the past. We have some really good arms; it's just how we are going to put it together.
Q: What made you want to come to UC?
A: I think there are a lot of things. Initially, probably the facilities; that's probably the first thing that jumped out at me. When they had interest in me, I think that's a big part, too. When someone comes after you, courting you, so to speak. Meeting Mike Bohn and what his vision is for not only the baseball program, but athletics here, it really got me interested. And knowing the resources that we have, not just the facilities, but financially, too. When you look at the conference, that's a big piece of it because it is a conference that is very competitive. I always tell our guys, 'If you want to be the best you have to play against the best.' Not that the Big East wasn't, but this is another opportunity for me to see where I am at on a different level. There are a lot of things. Being familiar with UC, I think that's the other part. I've seen UC grow in the past 16 years, even while I was at Miami (Ohio); being here and seeing how campus has grown and Calhoun (Street) and a lot of the apartments and the student living and how campus has cleaned up now. I was fairly familiar with it and, when Mike and Luke [Fickell] came over, I wanted to be a part of it. Watching what the athletic department is doing, it was a good opportunity.
Q: What's the transition been like now that you've been here and have become acclimated a little bit?
A: The people here have been great. It's been a little overwhelming at times. I always say I'm a good swimmer, but I'm in the deep end and I'm not sure if I'm swimming deeper or if I'm coming towards shore. It's been a good transition. I think a lot of that is how the coaches and the administration has had open arms. I think the players have been really receptive. The guys have been really receptive to myself and the staff and trying to implement what we are trying to do. I think some of the things we've been trying to do are different. A lot of it is similar and building on what they already have because I think they are on the right path. There is a lot of success and big wins last year, whether it's No. 1 Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio State, and even in conference; there's a lot of pieces in place. The guys have been pretty receptive and I think that's made the transition a little bit easier, too.
Q: What are some of those things that you're trying to bring to the table and trying to implement?
A: I think that our hitting philosophy is different. A lot of people joke around and say, 'elevate and celebrate,' but it's not – we're not putting the ball on the ground, but we're not trying to hit fly balls either. So, our hitting style with Coach [Kyle] Sprague is new. We're also doing some stuff with our base running and trying to be a little more aggressive and put some more pressure on the defense. Coach [JD] Heilmann is bringing in some different stuff with the pitching. We sprinkle in maybe some stuff they haven't done in the past. So, those are some of the things that are a little bit different. Some other things, like discipline, are the same. My philosophy is that I'm here for the guys. Before, I maybe tried to control guys; now I'm just trying to lead them in the right direction and trying to nudge them and say, 'hey, this is what a good ball player does, this is what a good student does, and this is what a good person does.' Instead of having all those rules, we have standards. We may stub our toes and make mistakes, and there are times you may need to throw in the hammer, but we are in this thing together. This is our program. Let's take it forward in these parameters.
Q: What about your assistants?
A: JD [Heilmann] was with me my first couple of years at Xavier. I am really familiar with him and have stayed in contact with him. Being a UC guy, I think that's important. He's trying to make connections not only with our guys but with our alumni. I think it's important to get them back because there has been a lot of success here at UC from the past. I want to include those guys moving forward. He does a really good job with recruiting. I think that's one of his strengths. He knows a lot of coaches, knows a lot of players. He's well-connected in high school baseball and PBR and Perfect Game. He's a big asset that way. He's also a very good pitching coach. I told him that's one thing I want; when they say your name, you're not just a recruiter, but very good at developing guys. I think he does a really good job. He has a great idea what he wants to do with his staff. He doesn't abuse arms and makes sure we are maintaining and keeping guys healthy. With JD, again, familiarity with him, that's a big plus.
The same thing with Kyle [Sprague], with him coming with me from Xavier. A lot of stuff that we did there, I want to implement here. He's got a little more of the cutting edge on the hitting philosophy, which I like. It's more like the elite hitters, like a Josh Donaldson, like an Aaron Judge, those type of guys. If you just say, 'put the ball in the air,' I don't think it translates. There are some things mechanically that go in to it. He really understands the swing and he also does an unbelievable job with our infielders. He did a great job at Xavier with our guys. We fielded really well. I attribute that to him. He's really taken that here. UC was a really good fielding team in the past, but he's really worked with those guys in developing solid fundamentals with our infielders. I'm going to let him try to do a little bit of stuff with our team defense; let him run the position of it and take control of that, so he's excited to take on that. The familiarity with him has been awesome.
With Tony [Maccani], he's new. I met him a couple of year ago. He brings a great energy and he connects well with the guys. He has that pro background that gives him instant credibility with the guys. And he's a local guy, which I think is important. We have three guys from Moeller (High School) that are on the staff, so I think that's a unique deal.
Andy [Nagel] has been our glue guy. He's been here and he knows the lay of the land. He knows the travel and the budget and he's helped me out quite a bit with that. I don't know all the ins-and-outs with campus, but I really don't have to with Andy. There are things that he takes off my plate. I worry about the guys and about baseball. I don't have to worry about the travel and the budget. He's able to check that stuff for me.
The staff has been awesome. Even with Chris Stone and our academic people, he's done a great job with telling me who's doing what. Every week, he's giving me updates so we aren't getting blindsided by someone not going to class or something or not doing well – we're out in front of it.
Q: The team has talked a lot about what a tight-knit group they are and how they feel like a brotherhood. Have you seen that?
A: I have. I think it's interesting because I think a lot of that has to do with us having a lot of seniors. When you are with guys for four years, or three and a half up to this point, you travel, you live together, you eat together, you work out together. We have a great locker room, so they all hang out there together. They really do have that bond. It's a tight group. It's been very positive. They really care for one another, which is an awesome trait because they want to do what's best to win and to get better. They put their egos aside. It's been fun to watch. We have really good leadership. I think that's part of why our guys are tight. We've got away from the cliques; there's not really any cliques on the team. You have certain guys that want to hang out with certain guys, but for the most part, to me, they don't care who gets the credit, they just want to win. They want to be a part of the team and do what's right for UC. I would say that it really is a band of brothers, and that's what they talk about. I would say that is probably true.
Q: They also talked a lot about how they are being underestimated from the outside looking in and that they are really excited to turn heads this season.
A: Yeah, as a competitor, you want to be recognized. I think that is part of whatever you do; you take pride in what you do. You want to be respected. Even sometimes when you lose a game, you want to be looked at as, 'those guys played hard, respect those guys; they're a good team.' When you have nine teams in the conference, someone has to be voted last. Whatever motivates them. To me, that's not my motivation. Does it sting a little bit? Sure, but we want to try to be the best team we can be. We can't worry about what other people say about us. Years to come we could be in first place, but it's just preseason. I do like that chip on the shoulder, but, to me, if that's all you're worried about, you're going to wear yourself out with that chip. But I do know that is a motivation for them. I don't use it too much, but it is in the back of my mind. We have something to prove here. I think we are better than what we are projected, but we have to go out and do it on the field. You take pride and say, 'we are better than that,' but you have to compete and do it.
Q: The first team practice is Friday. What has you excited about that?
A: We've done the individuals the last couple of weeks and we just want to get everyone together. I think we've made a jump from the fall, which has been good. Coach O (Orlando Smith) with our strength and conditioning in the offseason – our guys are a little more physical. Our guys understand what we are trying to do. I'm just excited to get out there and start playing. We have three weeks until our first game and we are going to start that first practice out with a scrimmage to see where our pitchers are. We haven't seen them, and it's not going to be the end-all-be-all for this first one, but I've known they've done a good job with their throwing program. We will see how their arms are and see where our hitters are. We haven't seen live pitching since the fall and we've worked really hard on some different stuff, not only mentally, but with our swings, so we can see where we are at. To me, that's the anxiety, the unknown of where we are because I don't know our league. I know Houston, I know Tulane, but we haven't played them, so I don't know their style. I want to see what we're all about and where we are right now. We've talked about in the offseason what our identity is and how our style of play is. It's kind of morphing still. I like tough, blue-collar, hard-nosed guys, always hustling and playing hard. We're still trying to instill that and control what we can control. Also, we have to know what the other teams are doing. Friday, we are going to be able to see where we are at. We can keep working on what we need to do and our deficiencies, but then get ready for the season. It's been a while, but it's exciting to get started again. I think anytime you're ready to go, whether you're ready or not, in three weeks, you have to play another team. You might go out and take your lumps, but let's see where we stand and what we need to keep working on.
I'm excited for the year. I do feel there's a lot in place player and personnel-wise. I think we have good arms, I just don't know how guys handle in-game situations. Figuring out who's going to be our mid-relief, who's going to be our closer, who's going to be our starters. Hitting-wise, we are not really deep but the guys we have, I really like. We've got some good guys in the right spots. We have to stay healthy. I think we are going to play defense well like we have in the past. We have some really good arms; it's just how we are going to put it together.