Jan. 29, 2015
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It was a typical winter evening in State College on Friday, Jan 23. The temperature was in the low 30s, there was snow on the ground, and yet Rob Cooper had one thing on his mind - baseball.
When you're the head coach of a Big Ten baseball team like Penn State, that's the way you have to think.
"It's 70 degrees and sunny in here, man," Cooper said while looking around the team's indoor practice facility at Holuba Hall. "Look if you're not motivated for the first day of team practice, to get the chance to prepare to represent Penn State University, than there's something wrong with you and you shouldn't be here."
While the Nittany Lions have been training individually and in groups all winter, the squad officially kicked off practice on Jan. 23 in preparation for the 2015 campaign. With their first game less than three weeks away, the Lions know there's no time to be wasted.
Luckily for the second-year head coach, his players share the same mindset as him in regards to getting the season going.
"It's just pure excitement right now," junior relief pitcher Jack Anderson said. "We've been putting in a ton of work the whole fall and winter. We're just really excited to come out and see who's going to make a difference."
Both Cooper and the players enter this campaign feeling more comfortable than they did a year ago, the head coach's first season. Although it didn't take long for the Lions to embrace Cooper's upbeat, high-energy approach, both parties have grown now that they have learned what to expect from each other.
Last year, Cooper adapted the mindset that everyone was a newcomer. Yes, he knew who his veterans were, but at the same time he was aware of the transition that every player would have to make and adjusted accordingly.
Now in his second season, Cooper is stressing accountability with his players, especially the returning ones who are expected to mentor the freshmen.
"All of those guys last year were freshmen from the standpoint of not knowing what to expect," Cooper said. "Sometimes that first year can be like drinking water from a fire hose. So now, you've upper classmen who have been through the program for a year. They know that ok, there's a reason why we're doing this today because it's going to get us ready for these kinds of experiences during the season. And they can help educate the younger guys and bring them along."
That being said, Cooper doesn't believe in easy when it comes to training. The coach is passionate about practice and made sure his team's first session last Friday was as close to a real game as possible with an eight-inning scrimmage.
The Nittany Lions kick off their season with a weekend series against Elon on Friday, Feb. 13, and will play 36 of their 49 regular season games this season (73 percent) on the weekend. Because of this, Cooper wants his players to start treating their days off from class as business right now.
"Friday, Saturday and Sundays for us are game days," Cooper said. "We've got to get our pitchers and our team in the habit of playing [those days]. We've got to get our rotation on schedule. So today (Friday) we're going to intra-squad. It's going to take up a lot of our time."
From a player standpoint, the Nittany Lions are determined to show how much they've improved from last season's 18-32 mark. The Blue and White showed plenty of promise in 2014, winning 10 of 11 games between March 17 and April 5.
Now, the Lions are looking to show they can win on a consistent basis. While the team graduated a number of seniors, they also return key players like Anderson, junior outfielder and top of the order threat James Coates, sluggers in outfielder Greg Guers and corner infielder J.J. White and promising sophomore shortstop Jim Haley.
"We have a great squad this year, we should win games," Coates said. "There's no doubt about it, we have no excuse not to. Great facilities, great coaches, we have everything we need to succeed. If we just believe in ourselves and play a faceless opponent we should come out on top."
Coates and his teammates know that becoming a top-tier team is a process, but that doesn't mean they're content with where they're currently at. A college baseball career only lasts so long, and the Nittany Lions want to make it count while it lasts.
"We talk about, this is the first year for this team and this is the only time we'll be together, this specific team," Coates said. "Next year we'll get new guys and more guys will leave. Hopefully we'll start something special here."