Q&A With UVa Coach Brian O?Connor
Story Links
By Raj Sagar, Athletics Media Relations
Q: What are your thoughts on the recruiting class this year?
O’Connor: We have 16 new players coming in including two transfers. We also have 14 high school players. There is a lot of teaching going on here this fall, and there are a lot of mistakes, but that’s okay. That is the way it’s supposed to be because it’s a different level of baseball and the expectations are different. I believe it’s a very talented class, but recruiting classes can’t be judged until two years from now. I am confident that there are a number of them who will be able to make an immediate impact with our team.
Q: In regard to practice, do you ease in, or just jump right in at full intensity at the beginning of fall ball?
O’Connor: We jump right into it. The first two weeks that they were back here in the fall we did a lot of strength and conditioning and some individual workouts. It took two weeks to get the new players adjusted to our expectations and the way we practice. Once we started full fall practice last Monday, we were at full intensity. It has to be that way for us to accomplish what we want. We go for six weeks, and fall baseball is different this year is different because of the change in NCAA rules regarding practice time. We are lifting weights three times a week and intrasquad scrimmaging three days a week with some skill instruction mixed in around that. It’s different and dragged out a little longer, but I like this format, especially since we have a young team because we have a longer period of time to teach.
Q: Is your approach any different coming into the fall with such a young team?
O’Connor: There are certain aspects of the approach that have to be the same. Our expectations have to remain the same whether you have a veteran team or a young team. But you do have to make a conscious effort as a coach to teach more, to spend time meeting with the players and educating them on positive and negative things that they have done. You have to stop intrasquad scrimmages when mistakes are made. We are still going to challenge them no matter how old they are, but you have to take the time for them to learn the game at this level, which you don’t have to do with a more experienced group.
Q: Do you do anything special to facilitate the amazing chemistry that always seems to be a characteristic of your teams?
O’Connor: We do some things more in the winter that I believe really draws our team closer together. It’s tough when you have 16 kids here who don’t really know each other, but through practice, every day that will get better and better. You have great team chemistry because you have great leadership. I always expect us to have good leadership because it’s passed on from year to year. The guys that are third years and fourth years are good leaders now because they imitated what the veterans did when they were just starting. Chemistry is a thing that builds throughout the course of the year.
Q: Which players are you looking at to fill those vital leadership roles on the team?
O’Connor: You have to look to the guys that are integral players and do the majority of the playing guys like Greg Miclat, David Adams and Jeremy Farrell. These are guys that are very well respected by their teammates and have proven they are winners. Guys on the mound like Michael Schwimer and Robert Poutier. There are a lot of guys on our roster that are going to step up and be leaders on this team.
Q: Do you have any numerical goals for the team this year?
O’Connor: We talk about what it takes to accomplish those numerical goals, but I don’t want our players to be numbers and result conscious. I want them to be team conscious. I understand it takes a certain fielding percentage and batting average to win at a high level, but in baseball it is very hard to focus so much on the numbers.
Q: What kind of emotion do you feel when a student-athlete leaves early to pursue professional baseball?
O’Connor: You obviously would like to keep players for four years, or maybe even sign them to long term contracts. Unfortunately we can’t do that. When you see the early departures of Sean Doolittle and Brandon Guyer it reflects well on our program. Players going pro early means that you are doing a quality job of developing players for the next level of baseball. You hate to see them leave early because they are such integral parts of your team, but that is the nature of college baseball. If you have good players, and they develop, the opportunity for them to leave after their junior year is something they have to strongly consider. Obviously we encourage all of them to continue working on completing their undergraduate degree.
Q: Have you spoken recently with Brandon Guyer or Sean Doolittle?
O’Connor: Brandon was here last week and was in town for a couple days. Now he is down at the instructional league and so is Sean. I’m sure that they will be back here after their instructional league ends. Every once in a while we get to talk to those guys and it’s always nice to hear from them.
Q: Who wins the AL East Division Title?
O’Connor: I like the Yankees. It’s really remarkable how big a push they’re making. They are really playing great baseball now right now and are definitely hot at the right time.