Interview with Coach Austin Alexander

A TBR Exclusive Report

About the Author: Austin Alexander, Elon Baseball

Bio taken from the Elon Baseball Web Site.

Austin Alexander enters his first season with the Phoenix baseball team as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator after serving as assistant baseball coach at Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, SC. Alexander is a 1997 graduate of the College of Charleston where he received his bachelor of arts degree in communications-mass media. He also received an associate of arts from Spartanburg Methodist in 1995.
At Spartanburg Methodist, Alexander was responsible for recruiting, academic monitoring, discipline and weightlifting of all players and the development and oversight of the pitching staff. During his stint, the pitching staff led NJCAA in 2001 with 2.42 ERA and in 2000 with a 3.09 ERA. Alexander helped lead the 2001 Pioneers to their first NJCAA World Series appearance in fifteen years. Under Alexander’s leadership at SMC, the Pioneers, 140-32, were ranked in NJCAA Top 20 every week during the last three years.

Prior to his stint at SMC, Alexander spent one season as assistant coach at Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC. Alexander’s duties included being responsible for catchers, outfielders and obtaining scouting reports while assisting with hitters.

Alexander was also the head coach of the South Carolina Diamond Devils, an 18-Under Elite Traveling Team last summer. Under his guidance all 21 players signed to play at the collegiate level in the fall of 2002. Prior to being promoted to head coach of the Diamond Devils, Alexander served as assistant coach, from 1999-2001. During his term, 49 players went on to play at the collegiate level and three moved to the professional ranks. In his five years of coaching, Alexander has had 15 pitchers and seven position players drafted.

As a player, Alexander enjoyed a stellar pitching career throughout college. At Spartanburg Methodist, he set the mark for victories by a freshman (10) and is currently fourth for wins in a career. He graduated from the College of Charleston the single-season and career win leader in his two-year stint as a Cougar. A member of the Cohocton Red Wings (NYCBL) for two summers, Alexander still holds the club mark for wins and innings pitched, including an NCAA summer league record 84 innings in 1996.

In July 2001, Alexander married the former Rita Richardson of Conway, SC.

Please visit their Web Site for more information about this outstanding program.

Elon Baseball Web Site

 

How important is it to a college coach that his recruits come from winning program?

Austin:When trying to build or maintain a winning program it sure doesn’t hurt to start with players who expect to win everyday. There is a lot that can be said for that type of attitude and experience those guys bring to the table. However, most coaches also realize good players also exist in weaker programs. If a player possesses the character and baseball tools we feel he needs to be successful, we wouldn’t hesitate to recruit that individual. My advice to that player is to seek quality summer and fall programs to partner with more talent and perhaps learn the game from better coaches.

 

Who has the coaches ear? Pro scouts? Do college coaches have birddogs?

Austin:I base a great deal more on my eyes than my ears. Obviously during the research stage, we’ll survey anyone who knows a kid well, but when it comes down to it, I’m going to go very strongly with what I observe. I do not have bird dogs but I do have many contacts that I trust ranging from pro scouts to people with no affiliation. Not everyone is a quality evaluator or maybe I should say not everyone knows what I am looking for in a prospective player. There are individuals out there who paint me a clear picture when I call them or when they call me.

 

How do you want a player to express interest in your program?

Austin:Personally--and I’m going be blunt as I’m well known for--many kids and parents waste a great deal of time and money writing letters, making phone calls and signing on with recruiting services. The best way to express interest in our program is to be polite by returning the questionnaire we have sent to them after having seen them play, come on a visit if invited and acting appreciative of the offer he is extended. Now I would not tell kids not to promote themselves; just use your time and money wisely, do you research, find out which showcases are the best, which traveling teams will get you exposure. If you are going to send a letter to a coach, do not pack it full of statistics and make sure you have video to accompany it.

 

When would be the earliest (grade) that a player should contact prospective schools?

Austin:If you are going to initiate the process, I would recommend waiting until at least your junior year. We get stuff from freshmen and sophomores sometimes. While I think I am very organized, because the NCAA will not allow us to send letter to prospects until the summer before their junior year, those letters go to the last file folder and are often forgotten. Now I don’t believe it is ever too early to begin researching schools and focusing on baseball programs, learn as much as you can in those areas.

 

Do you want to make the first contact or is it Ok if the student contacts you first?

Austin:I feel most comfortable making the first contact. Generally if contact is initiated by the prospect, I am unaware of his ability level and overall make-up which means I become very vague and non-committal.

 

When is an unofficial visit appropriate?

Austin:An unofficial visit is appropriate anytime it is agreed on by both parties in advance. We like unofficial visits as long as we are prepared for them. It would amaze you how many people we don’t even know, call and say they are on campus and want to stop in. Some even swing on through without a phone call. Those types of visits are ill-advised because we didn’t build in time for it.

 

What would you have the prospective student-athlete do prior to coming to visit?

Austin:If it’s an official visit, we require his high school transcripts, SAT/ACT score and usually have their parents fill out some preliminary financial aid estimate forms. Before we begin investing money in a kid, we have to know if he is even an option for us, not every kid is a qualifier.

 

How do you address players who want to walk-on and are decent-very good HS players?

Do you reserve roster spots for walk-ons? Is there any special attribute in a walk-on player that you look at? What is the difference between an walk-on and an invited walk-on?

Austin:
A) If a kid has some ability and can play at the next level but I cannot guarantee him a spot, I will tell him that. I will never mislead a person into thinking he’s got a shot to make the team when I think his chances may be greater elsewhere. If he maintains that he’s coming anyway, I make certain he understands the number of players already at his position and that the process may leave him with nowhere to play.

B) We do not reserve spots for walk-ons, if we keep one, it is in addition to who is already there.

C) If there is a hole by graduation, injury or lack of talent, etc. not filled by the incoming recruiting class. A hard look will be given but they have to provide us with the talent level we expect. FYI, Becoming a bullpen catcher might be one way to slip past the “Grim-reaper” on cut-day.

D) Termed differently by some a “walk-on” is usually a complete stranger or a kid who has written you feverishly while a “recruited walk-on” is a player who is generally a player receiving no athletic aid but very much a part of the team from day one.

 

How realistic is a walk-on’s chance of making the squad?

Austin:It depends on which school he’s attempting to do it at, but the schools who work the recruiting trails hard seldom keep kids out of their try-outs.