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College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2017 season with interviews with coaches across the country. Today, we feature first year San Jose State head coach Jason Hawkins who takes over the Spartans program after a successful run as an assistant at Utah helping to lead them to the Pac-12 conference title last season. You can check out the full interview below.
College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2017 season with interviews with coaches across the country. Today, we feature first year San Jose State head coach Jason Hawkins who takes over the Spartans program after a successful run as an assistant at Utah helping to lead them to the Pac-12 conference title last season. You can check out the full interview below.
1. San Jose State is coming off a 17-39 campaign while going 7-23 in the Mountain West Conference. Since taking over the program this summer and putting the team through the paces this fall, what are you expectations for 2017 squad?
My familiarity with the league is only what I’ve seen on paper and started to look at on film, but we played the MWC quite a bit when I was at SB so I have an idea. Based on that and knowing the talent levels of the last two programs I’ve been a part of, I think this club can compete with the teams in the conference. Only four teams get into the conf tourney this year and we’ve set our sights on that goal. If we stay healthy, it’s a realistic goal. The attitude is what I want it to be right now and I’m really enjoying working with these guys.
2. One of the challenges last season that the Spartans faced was on the mound where they had a 6.11 ERA. What types of changes are you trying to make to the pitching staff so that they will improve in your first season in charge of the program?
I started by hiring Dean Stiles. Dean’s track record at Oregon was exceptional. He’s all over the details and has totally transformed this staff. We didn’t throw a ton of strikes last year and we are doing that now. Now we have to learn how to pitch ahead and we’re getting close. The mentality might be the biggest difference and that’s across the board. Our guys are becoming more and more aggressive and learning what it means to “go for it!”
3. After a successful run with Utah including winning the Pac-12 conference last season, what types of changes do you have to make for the Spartans to have similar success?
We want these guys to be ultra-competitive. That’s what we were able to do at Utah and that’s what we’re doing here. A lot of people talk about it but we’re maniacal when it comes to competing. Everything they do..we want them to be the best. It’s really that simple. But we work hard at it as a staff. We demand a lot and create a lot of situations for them or make them see what it means to be competitive in every situation. Ultimately the guys end up having a blast working at getting better. It’s a lot of fun!
4. One of the stories in College Baseball has been the decrease in offense over the last ten years but it came back two seasons ago with the introduction of a new baseball. How do you feel that this ball has impacted your coaching and recruiting plans?
Recruiting is cyclic and you do see changes in what people are doing from time to time. The only way the ball has affected this is that we may be recruiting more pure hitters than a few years ago but I’m not even sure about that. Pitchers that can miss bats and defenders that can take hits away are still a commodity. We love speed. If we get guys that can hit and are athletic will be able to improve their defense. If we get strike throwers that have good arm action, we can develop strength. That’s the gist of our philosophy and it hasn’t changed much since the ball changed.
5.. Who has been your biggest influence on your coaching philosophy or career?
I learned a lot from both Andrew Checketts and Bill Kinneberg when I worked for them. They’re two very different people but men I respect and admire. Andrew’s attention to detail and leadership inspired me. He was great to work for. Bill’s integrity and stoic faith in his beliefs made me look in the mirror each day. Something I’ll continue to do. Learning from the two of them (both of who are also great pitching guys) has helped me and will continue to help me down the road. It’s nice to know they’re both a phone call away.
