As one might expect during a summer in which there is a coaching change, there are still loose ends that need to be tied within the Terrapin baseball program.
New head coach Erik Bakich has his work cut out for him as he simultaneously tries to find two new assistant coaches (pitching and volunteer), fill a few roster spots with contributors in the 11th hour, and lay the groundwork for recruiting next off-season.
I got the chance to speak to Bakich yesterday on a myriad of different issues pertaining the coaching search, the recruiting class, and some of the roster changes that have already happened.
Read on to find out what he said.
Finding coaches
It is getting late in the game for the Terps to still be without a pitching coach and Bakich knows it. He has already hired former Austin Peay assistant Dan Burton to be his recruiting coordinator and was rumored to be looking to bring in former teammate Joe Hastings from BC as well.
Now it appears as though that won’t happen. Bakich said that he had offered the position to someone else and had hoped to hear back from them yesterday, but wouldn’t tell me who it is.
“I don’t want to jinx myself,” Bakich said with a laugh. “Last time I thought I had someone in place, told the athletic department, and he had to back out at the last minute, so this time I am playing it slow.”
Bakich did tell me that if he managed to get this new anonymous coach on board, it would be a major coup for the program. Judging from the way he was talking about him, it’s pretty clear Bakich is dying to get this coach on board sooner rather than later.
Roster Moves
As with any coaching change, there are going to be players already in the program who no longer feel comfortable and end up transferring out. Such was the case with would-be sophomore first baseman Zach Helgeson who, after limited playing time last year, has decided to transfer to Pitt Community College in North Carolina.
The move might actually be a wise one for Helgeson, who can transfer to a terrific baseball program, continue to get better, and potentially end up transferring back into a big-time collegiate baseball program next season.
For the Terps the impact is minimal. Helgeson was hitless in 14 at-bats as a freshman, and even though he was having a big summer, he would have come back to College Park to find himself behind Curtis Lazar on the depth chart.
There are a few other players who are rumored to be leaving as well, but I wasn’t able to confirm those rumors and therefore feel uncomfortable reporting them as gone. But continue to check Terrapin Trail for roster updates.
It’s all about recruiting
I was finally able to get a list of the recruits already on the Terps roster for next season, however, I was not able to get a ton of information about them. In fact, Bakich didn’t even have the first names for most of the guys. Some I was able to find, others I wasn’t. Here is my best shot at it.
Class of 2009
RHP/C- Eric Curtis (Miami-Dade Community College)
OF/INF- Will Swoope (Benedictine High School, Richmond, Va.)
RHP- Charlie Haslup (Easton High School, Easton, Md.)
INF- Zack Fisher (Perry Hall, Nottingham, Md.)
Bakich only had the last names for these guys, I had to dig a little to find out enough information. He gave me two more names, but I couldn’t find anything about them so I decided not to include them.
All of these players were signed by the previous coaching staff. The headliner is Curtis, who transferred to Miami-Dade Community College after a year at VCU.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder was drafted this past year in the 28th round by the Boston Red Sox, and was named a Southern Conference honorable mention although I couldn’t track down his stats.
So how much more work does Bakich have for this year’s class?
Apparently a lot.
The maximum roster a school is allowed is 35, and currently the Terps have 28, which includes the six players signed before Bakich arrived. I asked Bakich if he planned on grabbing seven players and he said probably not, but that also doesn’t mean that he isn’t looking.
“Right now I am still exploring all our options, looking at players, and seeing what’s available,” Bakich said. “We probably won’t sign seven, but I want all the players still looking at schools to know the Terps are still looking for players. We still want to find players who can contribute to this year’s team”
Geez! The man makes me tired just talking to him.
Michael Lemaire was the 2009 Terrapin baseball beat writer and can be reached at lemairedbk@gmail.com.