We continue our countdown to the start of the 2018 College Baseball season with an interview today with Brown head coach Grant Achilles who is entering his fourth year with the Bears after having stints as an assistant coach with Georgetown, Wake Forest, and Brown. You can check out the full interview below.
1. Brown is coming off a 13-24 campaign while going 6-14 in Ivy League play. What are your expectations for the upcoming season?
There were 9 games last season that we lost by one run, a differential we have been working to be on the winning side of in 2018. We lost some tremendous players and people to graduation, but return key players and a very talented incoming freshmen class. Our goal is to compete for the Ivy League Championship at the end of the season, and to do so by taking each weekend one game…one pitch…at a time.
2. Reid Anderson leads the pitching staff which lost two senior from last season in Christian Taugner and Max Ritchie. Who do you see filling the other two spots in the rotation?
Mike McCormack and Jonathan Grosse have been working hard to continue building our pitching depth. Based on the fall, our rotation projects to be a combination of Anderson, Garett Delano, Collin Garner, and Will Tomlinson as we start out with four games each weekend. That will give us time to get our younger arms more experience before heading into the Ivy season.
3. The biggest loss for the Bears on the offensive end is Marc Sredojevic who hit .339 with three homers and 19 RBI. Who do you see filling into his leadership position in the field and off?
Sreddy, Huntley, and (Rob) Henry all came up clutch for us at different times last year and are difficult for any program to replace. Our program has seen leadership emerge from all classes, and that has been one of the more encouraging parts following the loss of their leadership. When the team has needed someone to step up, it has been a consistent theme that our players are ready to answer the bell.
4. 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?
On the mound, Collin Garner has been fighting for meaningful innings as a starter based on the fall he had. Positionally, Louis Gaitley, Joe Lomuscio, and Brennan Vasquez have certainly entered themselves into the conversation to be considered for spots in the opening day lineup.
5. One of the biggest changes in the offseason in the Ivy League is with the change to full three game weekend series against each opponent. What are your thoughts on the change and how will it change how you set up your pitching staff?
This is a huge improvement for our league in terms of both equity in competition and the overall comparison to the rest of Division I baseball. There is now an increased emphasis on bullpen depth, and although there are fewer innings on the weekend I think we will see a shift in the length that starting pitchers throw. A four-run lead in the 4th is much different in a 9-inning game than it is a 7-inning game, and will certainly lead to a different strategy during a 3-game series.
6. Lets say we put you in charge of all of college baseball right now, What is the one thing you would change and why?
The recruiting machine and commitments have gotten out of hand. There are people who have power in the process who care very little about the players and their families, and they are creating an environment of stress and pressure. The change I am in favor of is not an original thought, but is one I am fully in support of. Allow HS players to sign an NLI at any time. If they decommit, they lose 2 years of eligibility. If a coach cuts them loose, the coach loses that scholarship for 2 years. These are life-changing decisions that are being minimized because we have allowed that to happen as coaches. What 14-15 year old knows what they want to do as an 18-22 year old? It’s irresponsible, and hopefully the Recruiting Summit is just a glimpse into what many of us as coaches are already talking about.
