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UConn BSB HC Jim Penders w Rob Dibble 2-11 · Coaches Corner

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  Speaker 1: This guy has transformed Yukon into a top twenty five
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  Speaker 1: Division one baseball program over the years twenty three years.
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  Speaker 1: This is his twenty third year at the Helm of
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  Speaker 1: Yukon Baseball and Jim Penders joins us now in the
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  Speaker 1: hot line and coach benders Man twenty three years in counting.
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  Speaker 1: It's been a hell of a ride. What's been like
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  Speaker 1: to you?
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  Speaker 2: You know what?
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  Speaker 3: It's a It's been an absolute joy.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's it's the.
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  Speaker 3: Longer I do a job, you think, the better I.
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  Speaker 2: Get at it, or the easier it get. It certainly
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  Speaker 2: hasn't gotten any easier over the years. I find it
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  Speaker 2: just as challenging, if not more so than when I
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  Speaker 2: first started. It's just but it's you know, the ride
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  Speaker 2: has been just so magical in so many different ways.
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  Speaker 2: You know, when you can have a get a preseason
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  Speaker 2: dinner last week in your hometown at the Aqua Turf
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  Speaker 2: and couldn't have been prouder to have four of our
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  Speaker 2: former players back and Pete Fatsy the you.
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  Speaker 3: Know, batting coach for the hitting coach for the Red Sox.
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  Speaker 2: Anthony Kay's one of the newest Chicago Socks. Matt Barnes.
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  Speaker 2: You know at Ben Kasparius, two time world champion, Spurious back,
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  Speaker 2: they didn't get a dime to come and they just
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  Speaker 2: shared their wisdom and just it was really really a
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  Speaker 2: nice night. It just kind of reminds you that we're
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  Speaker 2: all part of something much much larger than ourselves, much
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  Speaker 2: more special than ourselves, and a.
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  Speaker 3: Great way to kind of inspire the guys.
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  Speaker 2: I think for what's the code this year, we're excited
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  Speaker 2: about it.
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  Speaker 1: Talking to the head coach of Yukon Baseball, Jim penders Well,
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  Speaker 1: and that being said, your twenty three years, you have
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  Speaker 1: the longest tenured coaching staff in Division one baseball. Now
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  Speaker 1: you've got to be proud of that. That a lot
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  Speaker 1: of your guys are not only loyal, but it probably
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  Speaker 1: helps the recruiting process and knowing what everybody's thinking coming
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  Speaker 1: into every year. You don't have a bunch of brand
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  Speaker 1: new faces to you know, worry about in the program.
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  Speaker 1: As far as the coaching goes, there's no doubt.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I'm so lucky to have Christa does what
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  Speaker 2: he's with meson the beginning, we've played together for God's sakes,
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  Speaker 2: back in the dark Age is here and and you know,
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  Speaker 2: he's such a great baseball mind. And then they have
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  Speaker 2: two guys that I coached, and Josh McDonald and Jeff Horigan.
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  Speaker 2: You know, for having we've been together now consecutively since
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  Speaker 2: the summer of twenty eleven, and you know, there's nobody
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  Speaker 2: even close to that in the country. We've been together,
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  Speaker 2: you know, fifteen fifteen years now, and there's I think
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  Speaker 2: I think the closest staff is maybe like seven or
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  Speaker 2: eight years. So it's it's it's been a joy. It's
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  Speaker 2: not certainly not because of me. It's because I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the University of the State has shown its support.
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  Speaker 2: It's shown what we can do if we you know,
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  Speaker 2: if we build it to steal a movie line, if
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  Speaker 2: we build it, they will come. And that has happened.
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  Speaker 2: We enjoy great support from our administration, from the fans
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  Speaker 2: of Connecticut, and and you know the.
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  Speaker 3: Fact that they're all Connecticut guys and they're family guys.
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  Speaker 2: They you know, it's going to take something special for
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  Speaker 2: them to leave, and you know that day is going
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  Speaker 2: to come at some point, and that's okay, you know,
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  Speaker 2: you know, whoever it is, they're going to have our blessing.
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  Speaker 2: But it's pretty It's pretty cool that we've been able
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  Speaker 2: to stick together so long, and I do it's it's
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  Speaker 2: just total trust. They're great friends too, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: we know what each one is thinking in every single
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  Speaker 2: scenario pretty much, and we hold each other accountable. When
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  Speaker 2: I stunk, I was terrible back in September coaching coaching
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  Speaker 2: first and thirds. One day, I was rushing on to
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  Speaker 2: the next thing in practice and DESI, of course, the
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  Speaker 2: end of the practice is hey man, you suck today.
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  Speaker 2: We've got to do that again tomorrow, right, you.
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  Speaker 3: Know, to have that kind of you know, relationship is invaluable.
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  Speaker 1: And not take it personally. And like you said, the
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  Speaker 1: ever changing landscape. I don't know how many transfers you have.
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  Speaker 1: Some say twenty two of thirty nine players are new
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  Speaker 1: to the program this year. I'm sure you'll correct me,
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  Speaker 1: but I'm sure that wasn't happening twenty years ago. Talk
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  Speaker 1: about every year you might have to bring in a
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  Speaker 1: bunch of new guys. Have to you know, teach the
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  Speaker 1: you know, Husky way and get guys on board quickly
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  Speaker 1: because there's there's really no rest in baseball.
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  Speaker 2: You're right, you hearing the guys getting ready to go
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  Speaker 2: stretch down the line right now. Practice, you're absolutely, it's
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  Speaker 2: very much like speed dating. I think college athletics is
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  Speaker 2: now trying to form chemistry dating get you know the guys.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean trying to get them all to.
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  Speaker 2: Speak the same language in a short amount of time.
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  Speaker 3: I think that the positive is when you do have
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  Speaker 3: guys to transfer in.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they're also highly motivated to make it work.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they know that this is probably the last
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  Speaker 2: stop and that they really need to make it work here.
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  Speaker 2: So I think they're coming together with the expectation that Okay,
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  Speaker 2: we're going to form bonds quickly and you know, learn everything,
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  Speaker 2: make adjustments fast, learn the language of the program, the
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  Speaker 2: culture of the program, what's important to us all, what
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  Speaker 2: the standards are, and you know, the Husky way. I
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  Speaker 2: guess you could call it that. Yeah, So it's it's
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  Speaker 2: and I guess the challenge to us is to make
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  Speaker 2: it so it's still transformational. It's a transformational program in
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  Speaker 2: the building of and we really want to build young.
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  Speaker 3: Men, not just ballplayers. And that's a challenge when.
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  Speaker 2: You have one year or two years to do so,
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  Speaker 2: you don't have three and four years to do so.
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  Speaker 3: So we've got to be that much better.
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  Speaker 2: As coaches too. And I think you know, we're meeting
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  Speaker 2: the challenge. I'm very happy with the togetherness and connectiveness,
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  Speaker 2: the concavity connectivity of this group right now. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're about to post the first travel list of the year.
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  Speaker 2: There's going to be eight guys left home, so hopefully
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  Speaker 2: we stays together. That's not an easy day for some
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  Speaker 2: for all of us, you know, when you have to
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  Speaker 2: leave a few behind.
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  Speaker 1: All right, And as you said, travel, You're going to
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  Speaker 1: Arizona Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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  Speaker 1: It's the m MLB Desert Invitational. You're going to play
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  Speaker 1: a lot of teams that you might only see in
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  Speaker 1: the in the college baseball tournament. Tell me about it,
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  Speaker 1: you know, how do you pick and choose what early
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  Speaker 1: season tournaments to go to and what warm weather states
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  Speaker 1: because even Florida right now is like sixty degrees. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: you know down the Eastern Seaboards softball had some cancelations
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  Speaker 1: on the women's side at Yukon. Tell me about picking
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  Speaker 1: and choosing where to play early in the season.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the first couple of weekends we really do try
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  Speaker 2: to get somewhere where it's most likely going to be
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  Speaker 2: more I mean, like southern California, Arizona, South Florida. You
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  Speaker 2: really don't want to take your chances in the mid Atlantic,
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  Speaker 2: and sometimes we've had two years past. We try to make,
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  Speaker 2: you know, places safe a bet as possible. So it's
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  Speaker 2: going to be sixties and seventies in Arizona. It's going
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  Speaker 2: to feel great, I'm sure to all of us. And
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  Speaker 2: you try to find quality opponents. You know, we've got
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  Speaker 2: to build our RPI. These are must win games, you know,
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  Speaker 2: right from the get go. There's no such thing as
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  Speaker 2: easing into the season. You have to schedule up and
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  Speaker 2: we'll play seven of our first eight games against P
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  Speaker 2: four opponents. And if we're going to if we really
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  Speaker 2: truly do want to compete for a national championship, you've
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  Speaker 2: got to beat those guys anyway. So we may take
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  Speaker 2: our lumps, but it's all in the grand scheme of things.
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  Speaker 2: I think the formula has worked for you well, for
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  Speaker 2: us to schedule that way, and you know we're going
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  Speaker 2: to add a lot of frequent flyer miles, that's for sure.
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  Speaker 2: It's crazy how how much we are gone from this
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  Speaker 2: camp from stores in the spring. But it's just the.
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  Speaker 3: Out of necessity.
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  Speaker 2: I wish we could play at home in February and March,
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  Speaker 2: but we're forced to go elsewhere. It's funny how some
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  Speaker 2: of the teams in Virginia and North Carolina try to
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  Speaker 2: stay home. That's going to be really tough this year.
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  Speaker 2: So I'm glad we're getting on a plane tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: Talking to the University of Connecticut baseball coach Jim Penders.
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  Speaker 1: Your thoughts on Tony Vittello taking over the reins as
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  Speaker 1: the San Francisco Giants head coach. First to jump right
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  Speaker 1: from college to manager at the major league levelies forty
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  Speaker 1: seven years old, won a national championship a couple of
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  Speaker 1: years ago. What what what would be successful to you
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  Speaker 1: in the next couple of years for Tony to basically
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  Speaker 1: say college coaches can make this jump.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I think he's you know, if he can earn the
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  Speaker 2: respect of his players and he's never done one hundred
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  Speaker 2: and sixty two games, you know what that's like. There's
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  Speaker 2: no way he can. He's obviously at the top of
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  Speaker 2: the college coaching profession. I don't know him personally. I
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  Speaker 2: think it's going to take an incredible amount of confidence.
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  Speaker 2: It seems as though he has that, you know, and
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  Speaker 2: I wish him well. I hope, I hope it does
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  Speaker 2: go well. I think, you know, I think a lot
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  Speaker 2: of the Major League Baseball organizations are seeing the jobs
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  Speaker 2: that we do in college baseball and all that that
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  Speaker 2: entails in a year long basis what that entails, and
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  Speaker 2: I think there it's a tip of the cap to say, hey,
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  Speaker 2: these guys are they really are teachers of the game,
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  Speaker 2: and and you know, that should go a long way.
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  Speaker 2: It's worked in other sports. You know. You see you
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  Speaker 2: see coaches in the NBA or NBA Coach of the
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  Speaker 2: Year who were uh Yukon basketball managers at one point,
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  Speaker 2: didn't play in college. You know, you see Bill Belichick's
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  Speaker 2: being one of the best, one of the best NFL
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  Speaker 2: coaches in history. Belichick, you know, never played down in
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  Speaker 2: the NFL. So I guess it shouldn't be a pre prerequisite,
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  Speaker 2: but I think in a lot of our minds it
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  Speaker 2: still is, and so it'll be it'll be really interesting
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  Speaker 2: to see. I do hope he has success, and but
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  Speaker 2: like I said, I can't imagine the challenge that that's
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  Speaker 2: going to present. I think success would look like, you know,
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  Speaker 2: everybody in that clubhouse respects him and and that just
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  Speaker 2: grows as they get to know him. You know, he's
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  Speaker 2: going to have to capture that clubhouse and really earn
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  Speaker 2: their respect every day.
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  Speaker 1: I know you're getting ready to go out there and
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  Speaker 1: do practice right now, give me a quick scenario here
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  Speaker 1: or a quick summary of your team. Who are some
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  Speaker 1: of the guys that that right now you're going to
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  Speaker 1: be looking forward to to lead early on in the
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  Speaker 1: season from maybe last year's team or some some key transfers.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. I really like our three captains. Think you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're if they go well, we're going to do well.
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  Speaker 2: Maddix Delana, you know, Tyler Minnick. They're both learning new
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  Speaker 2: positions this year, but they're offensively, they're they're at the
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  Speaker 2: top of college baseball. I really expect big things from them.
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  Speaker 2: And Maddox miss last year due to injury. He was
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  Speaker 2: the biggest preseason player of the year and never got
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  Speaker 2: a chance to prove. The other coaches in the league
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  Speaker 2: right on that and we've got another chance now. And Minnick,
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  Speaker 2: you knows, returning with twenty two home runs last year.
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  Speaker 2: They're taking too many lineups in the country. There they
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  Speaker 2: have twenty two home runs from one guy coming back
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  Speaker 2: to the same program, you know, and Roberspoley at shortstop
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  Speaker 2: is just one of the best leaders I've ever been around.
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  Speaker 2: He just never has a bad day. It's an ultra
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  Speaker 2: positive team of being and I enjoy to be around.
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  Speaker 2: And he was an All Big East first team shortstop.
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  Speaker 2: So that's a really good place to start around those
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  Speaker 2: three guys and build. And I do like our starting rotation.
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  Speaker 2: We have three left handers go on this weekend. Looks
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  Speaker 2: like Charlie West on Friday night, Cayden Suki on Saturday
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  Speaker 2: versus Kansas State, and Oliver Pudvar, who's who's pitched on
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  Speaker 2: Fridays before he is going to pitch Sunday. I like
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  Speaker 2: building around them too. I think those those three lefties
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  Speaker 2: are going to give us a chance to win an
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  Speaker 2: awful lot of games this year.
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  Speaker 3: But like what we have coming back.
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  Speaker 2: I like I think defensively we're stronger in every spot
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  Speaker 2: except center field, and that would be impossible because Caleb
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  Speaker 2: spur left and he was the best defensive player in
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  Speaker 2: all of college baseball last year statistically, so, but I
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  Speaker 2: do think in the other eight positions. I think we're
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  Speaker 2: stronger than we were last year. Defensively. I think we
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  Speaker 2: added a little bit more speed and athleticism, and I
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  Speaker 2: like the power that we do have in the lineup.
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  Speaker 2: Jack Jackson Marshall, who's transferring from Southern New Hampshire, is
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  Speaker 2: going to be playing first base and DH he hits.
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  Speaker 2: He hits them really high and really far, and he's
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  Speaker 2: a really tough out. So I think fans are going
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  Speaker 2: to enjoy watching him hit at Elliott Ballpark very much too.
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  Speaker 1: Him two days, six hours, forty six minutes away from
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  Speaker 1: first pitch. Good luck to you on that Arizona trip
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  Speaker 1: and to all your travels. We'll catch up with you
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  Speaker 1: along the way. And I know it's tough to fill
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  Speaker 1: out that roster who's going and who's not going. I
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  Speaker 1: know that's going to pain you to do that, but
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  Speaker 1: I always appreciate your time and good luck this season.
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  Speaker 2: Same here, Rob, And you know, take care of yourself,
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  Speaker 2: keep getting better.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you.
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  Speaker 2: Jim, Yeah, no problem.