Shane Armstrong ‘15 is now an assistant baseball coach after pitching for the Chargers until he graduated last year.
What has the transition from player to coach been like?
The transition from player to coach has gone pretty smoothly. Since I am coaching alongside guys that I played for I knew what to expect as far as work ethic, team expectations, and how things are run, which definitely helps.
How did your time with Hillsdale Baseball affect you as a person?
My time with Hillsdale Baseball has impacted my life a lot. Playing here at Hillsdale has taught me a lot about how to set and achieve goals, build strong relationships, and how to prepare both for the game of baseball and life. I wouldn’t trade my friendships with my teammates over the past five years for anything.
What about the team do you like so much that makes you want to stay around and coach?
I really enjoy the atmosphere that surrounds this team. It has always been a group of guys that cares about each other and wants to help each other succeed. It was great to be a part of that as a player and help to carry it on as a coach.
What hopes and goals do you have for this Hillsdale College baseball season?
The expectations for this team will always be the same. That we will all be great teammates to each other and the team will always come first. As far as performance goes we expect to be in the conference tournament and win the GLIAC and reach our peak performance as we go to regionals and beyond.
What differences are there preparing for a season as a coach and as a player?
As a player preparing for the season you want to hone in on your skills and make sure everything is sharp physically and mentally so you can perform at a high level throughout the season and help the team as much as possible. As a coach it’s more of preparing the players to be ready during practice and doing things like scouting reports of our opponents and preparing itineraries for road trips off the field so they can just focus on school and baseball.
How has the baseball team improved since you first started on the team?
Since my freshman year, Hillsdale Baseball has undergone a complete culture change. The coaches work hard to bring in players that are 100 percent committed to the team and eager to come to Hillsdale. We also carry a larger roster size than we did when I first got here which provides more depth at every position which has already paid off our first week of competition in the season.
