College Baseball Daily kicks off our previews of the 2016 College Baseball season with Northeastern head coach Mike Glavine. He is entering his second season in charge of the Huskies program as they look to continue their rise in the CAA. You can check out the interview below.
1. Northeastern is coming off a 25-30 campaign while going 14-10 in CAA play. What are your expectations for the 2016 season?
Mike Glavine: For 2016, we have talked about continuing to build on what we did in conference play last year but also doing a much better job with our midweek schedule. We had a our highest finish in the conference since the 2006 season and we want to continue that momentum into the 2016 season. We expect to be in the conference tournament again this season while competing for the CAA championship. We have also talked about bringing much more consistent play to our midweek schedule to improve our overall record.
2. The Huskies lost top starting pitcher Nick Berger to graduation. Who do you see stepping into his role this season?
MG: No question Nick will be a big loss for our staff but we return 2 weekend starters from last season’s team in Dustin Hunt and James Mulry. Aaron Civale will be moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation to try and fill Berger’s departure. All 3 of these guys have experience for us and they are coming off very strong summer campaigns in the Cape Cod League including Civale being voted the Top New England Prospect in the CCBL.
3. Have any of the incoming freshmen impressed you during Fall workouts? Do you expect any of them to break into the starting lineup/rotation this spring?
MG: Our staff has been very impressed with our freshman class this fall. It was a smaller class for us with 6 freshman and 2 transfers. They are very talented but also very competitive and hard working. As a staff we were very impressed with how quickly they adjusted to the speed of the game and the aggressive schedule we have in the fall. We fully anticipate 3 or 4 of the position players breaking into the starting lineup and at least one pitcher having a big impact this season.
4. Coming into your second season as the head coach of the Northeastern program, what is the biggest difference between being the top assistant and now the head coach?
MG: I think the biggest differences are the day to day responsibilities. As the head coach, I spend more time on the administrative side of things and more time in meetings. Recruiting and developing our current players are two of the best parts of this job. I try to make sure I am able to balance the admin side along with the baseball side. I also realize the stress is greater as the Head Coach and I need to have patience. We are in year 2 of the new coaching staff and I need to believe in the process as much as our players do.
5. One of the stories in College Baseball has been the decrease in offense over the last ten years but it came back last season with the introduction of a new baseball. How do you feel that this ball has impacted your coaching and recruiting plans?
MG: First, I think the change to the new baseball was a very positive step for College Baseball. With the increase in offense we have tried to play for the big inning and rely less on small ball. Defensively, we try to put the most athletic team we can on the field to limit other teams scoring chances. This translates into our recruiting by us trying to find a combination of athletic position players that can run and defend. Then mix them with middle of the order type hitters that can drive gaps and hit some home runs. On the mound we are looking for pitchers that can get swings and misses and throw a high % of strikes to limit free bases.
