Getting to know Jeff Petty-GM Hurricanes

How can I be good friends with a guy half my age? EASY.......Jeff is the real deal as far as how he befriends people. It is fun to watch him interact with his coaches and his players. He is extremely competitive but goes about it with a cool demeanor. Along with being Head Coach and General Manager of The Canes Organization he is also an associate scout for the Houston Astros. When Jeff is my age I hope he will coach my grandkids.



1. Where did you grow up and what is your earliest baseball memory?

We did some bouncing around while I was growing up. We started off living in Columbia, SC b/c that is where my Dads side of the family is from, from the time I was 6 until I was 13 we lived in Summerville, SC right outside of Charleston, and Then I spent my High School years in Fredericksburg, VA 45 minutes south of Washington DC.

My Earliest Baseball memory would be even before little league. I truly remember how important baseball was to my father. It was one of many things we shared, but baseball was the one thing that dominated me and my father’s relationship. Baseball brings me nothing but good memories growing up Little League on up. I remember playing Little League at Parks Field in Summerville, SC and if dad wasn’t home to throw to me I would walk 4 miles with a friend to get to the field, so we could hit. It was a passion then, and it has done nothing but grow since then.

2. In High School what role did you play on your team?

I was real fortunate in High School. I was on a state championship team my senior year, and a 3 time conference championship team while I was on the team. We had great coaches, and good players around me. I broke the school record for RBI’s at 44, and got lucky and hit a 2 run home run in the state championship game in a 7 to 5 game. Was an all state choice, but like I said I was real fortunate to have the High School Baseball experience I had.

3. How far has baseball taken you?

Baseball has done more for me than I could have ever imagined, and I am still pretty young in the grand scheme of things. I got to grow up my entire childhood and learn the game the right way, have memories with my dad, and teammates that I will never forget. Obviously winning a state championship game with 8 seniors in the starting line-up is something that no kid will ever forget.

People ask me sometimes do I like coaching better than I did playing. The answer to that question is without a doubt I like coaching more. I am very much a team guy, and thrive off helping others. Coaching the Hurricanes has brought me more joy than anyone can ever imagine b/c of the direct help I have been able to provide to my guys. It may be a small part, but it’s a small part I take a lot of pride in. The relationships that I have made through baseball may be the best place baseball has taken me. I have so many people in my life that are like true family to me, and they were brought into my life through baseball.

4. What are the top 3 things you look for when scouting a player?

In order how hard they play the game, their talent level, and are they a team guy. The number one thing that is important to me is how hard a kid plays the game. Any kid that can’t run out a routine ground ball, or be standing on second base when they hit a routine fly ball to the outfield is no kid for me. I think kids should bust their tail everywhere they go when they are on the baseball field just out of respect for the game.

Talent Level is obviously crucial. The kid has to have talent. Something has to stick out whether its his speed, arm, or stick. I love kids that can run. You can teach a kid how to hit, but you can’t teach a kid how to run. 3rd would be are they a team guy. We don’t make a habit of keeping guys around that aren’t willing to lay down sacrifice bunts, hit and run, or do whatever the game calls for to help us win. People say its showcase baseball, and you aren’t out there to win. Well I will be the first to say we don’t run things that way. We try to win every game, and we try to teach our kids how to win baseball games the right way. I personally don’t want any kids in our program that would ever take the field with anything on their mind but winning, and I don’t think any college coaches want that type of kid either.



5. Are you dating?

I am dating. I am not married, or engaged but have a girl that I am dating who loves baseball, and supports what I do. She doesn’t know a whole lot about baseball, but she enjoys it. We live up in Northern Virginia so we tend to go to Nationals game’s, or Orioles games. She is a big Yankees fan which I am trying to over look. 2 weeks ago we saw the Yanks play the O’s, and Jeter hit a pop up to the shortstop, and she started cheering. I just looked over and smiled. I am glad she doesn’t know a lot about it. That way when I come home I don’t have to hear about it from the girlfriend too.

6. What is the best and worst thing about showcase ball?

The best thing is what it has, and will continue to do for kids. It gives them an opportunity that they aren’t going to get anywhere else. They get to play with and against the best amateur players in the country.

The worst thing for us is that we don’t get to practice daily. I sometimes wonder how good we would be if we could practice every day of the week. With our team being spread out over 3 states practice is simply not an option. All we can hope for is our guys work out during the week on there own. As a showcase coach on the coaching side of it you are limited to getting your guys together one weekend before you go play, and have lots of hotel meetings, and early batting practices. That is a definite downfall in my opinion.

7. What other hobbies do you have?

I like to go to the gym just about every day, go to church, and hang out with family, and friends as much as possible. I am like any other sports guy I love to watch college football, college basketball, and NFL Sundays are always something that will get my eyes on a television.

8. In 5 years where will you be?

I believe in 5 years I will be coaching the Hurricanes still. The only thing that could lure me away is a few select college coaching jobs. If I got the right opportunity to coach in college as an assistant, or a recruiting guy I would consider it. I love doing what I am doing, and am not looking to get out of it. I hope that it will continue to grow, and maybe some of our old players will come back and want to help out.

9. Why did you name your teams the Hurricanes?

As boring as the truth is I will tell you. I was 22 just out of college, and was sitting on the couch trying to think of a name and the Miami Hurricanes were on TV. I loved their color scheme, and really liked their uniforms. I thought we could come up with a ton of different uniforms that would look good, and we continue to have good looking uniforms, so I am happy with the decision to name the Team the Hurricanes.


10. How the hell did you get mixed up with Stretchy?

I have known Stretch for 4 years now. I have coached against him, and have had him umpire all of our Dynamic Showcase Tournaments. He is an outstanding guy. He is one of those guys I have enjoyed speaking with since day 1, and he does an outstanding job getting umpires for our tournaments, and he does a great job on the field himself. I am thrilled that we are friends in and out of baseball.

 

How much

did it cost you to get Jeff to say those nice things about you?

Great interview.

 

Getting to know Jeff Petty (Part Two)

11. How did the Hurricanes evolve as one of the top travel teams in the country?

Good people. That is it plain and simple. I am so fortunate to have people like Doug Collins, and Mike Covington on my side every day. Doug, Cov, and myself talk on the phone every single day, and put in countless hours preparing this team to take the field in the offseason. It is truly a 12 month a year job. Doug Collins is not only a great baseball person, but is as fine a person as I have ever met. I don’t know that I respect anyone on this planet as a person more than Doug. The day Doug walked away from the Canes is the day the Canes would no longer exist. Mike Covington is someone I owe everything to as far as helping me get established in the State of Virginia. Mike has coached some of the best players the state of Virginia has to offer for the past 15 years in the Commonwealth games, and knows how evaluate talent, and has been a great mentor for me. I am so fortunate to have Mike as my mentor he truly does things the right way.





12. What would you say your coaching style is?

Well I will say this. I am a firm believer that you don’t coach all kids the same. A good coach in my opinion gets to know his kids, and gets to know what style they best respond to. Some would say that I get to close to my kids, and I will always say they are wrong. I do get very close to my players, and the main reason is this. I am a strong believer in that if your kids know that you care about them, and that you would do anything in the world for them then they will lay it all out on the line come game time for you when that time comes. We have never had a problem getting our kids to play hard, and I will continue to believe that how much we do for them, and prove to them on a daily basis how much we care about their well being plays the biggest part in their effort on the field wearing green and orange.



13. Who do you respect the most in showcase?

I respect a lot of guys in showcase. I respect Andy Partin because of what he has done for the showcase brand of baseball. He in my mind is the man who really got things rolling in the right direction in North Carolina. He puts a great product on the field every year, his kids play hard, and they play the right way. I respect Don Hutchins for many reasons, but the main one being he is in it for the right reasons. He is solely in it for the kids, and that is it. I respect Jeff McNeely, and Jason Hill who truly develop their guys, and do it on a daily basis. It is hard to say I respect any of them more than the other. I truly respect all of the showcase coaches in one way or the other, b/c they are helping kids get into college whether it be D1, D2, D3, NAIA, or Juco.

14. Who is your all-time favorite ballplayer?

Ricky Henderson. When I was growing up the Oakland Athletics were a lot of fun to watch with Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, and Ricky Henderson. I liked Ricky because he made things happend. He is one of the only guys I have ever seen get walked steal second, and steal third 2 times in one big league game. He knew how to get after it, and was a ton of fun to watch.


15. What is your favorite meal on the showcase circuit?

Favorite food is an Outback Steak. Our parents last year ragged me a little bit b/c it just so happend our hotel was almost always in walking distance to an Outback. It wasn't on purpose but I can see why they started to wonder.


16. What do you think of TBR?

I think TBR is a great source of Networking, and communication for the Prep world, and tons of other outlet's as well. Any time you can get people talking about the same thing, and bringing up different topics on the thing you enjoy to talk about it is beneficial, interesting, and sometimes even educational.

 

The Real Deal

My son played for The Canes last year and has the fortune of doing the same this year. I can honestly say Coach Petty is the real deal. He makes himself available to all his players all the time. (I think he can text message faster than most of the kids) Whether you are sitting around a hotel lobby or watching another game he is always tallking baseball and what the kids need to do in order to improve. His passion for the kids and the game (and how they play it) is second to none. With Coach Collins and the rest of the Canes staff this organization has the ability to compete with anybody in the country.

 

Can he get me race tickets?

 

His uncle Richard should be able to!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Jeff gets some of his passion for baseball from his bloodlines,i.e. his uncle, THE KING,RICHARD PETTY having won 200 races.Jeff is trying to match that sort of feat on the diamond.He got out of racing at an early age when he wrecked his go cart and Sir Richard pronounced him unfit for the track!!Lucky for us in baseball,on that day he spun out and continued to race the wrong way around the track.From then on baseball became his destiny.
How about it Jeff,TICKETS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!