McNeese Baseball: 8 Questions with head coach Justin Hill

McNeese Baseball Head Coach answers some questions about the 2018 season and the future of Cowboy Baseball.

1. Coming off a Southland Conference championship season in 2017, and knowing that you had some holes to fill for 2018, how would you describe this season?

Hill: Challenging yet rewarding. There are many things in baseball that you can control and even more that you cannot. I knew this year was going to be challenging for two separate reasons. Number one, this program had just accomplished something that everyone tries do – we won a championship. Any championship is hard, but we had a team that went wire to wire with a bunch of guys who had never won anything. They won a lot of games and beat a lot of good teams. Human nature will tell you that you aren’t going to sneak up on anyone especially in non-conference. Secondly, it’s one thing to realize you’re going to get everyone’s best shot, it’s another to mentally move on from a championship and get back to work and prepare to win another one. I am not saying that this team didn’t work – they did – I just believe we all could have done a better job, myself included, to mentally to move on from 2017 and prepare for 2018. It was rewarding in the fact that we had a bunch of guys who stuck together through some tough times. We had a really rough start to the season – and there were plenty of opportunities for them to shut it down or divide, but that just wasn’t in their DNA. That resiliency will pay off for them, not only in baseball, but for the rest of their lives.

2. How much of an impact was it that returning starting pitcher Rhett Deaton and designated hitter Austin Nelson both missed the season due to injury?

Hill: I would put what we do from an injury-prevention standpoint up against anyone, but injuries are something you simply can’t control. One thing that injuries do is give other guys opportunities in competitive situations. These opportunities have given a lot of guys some valuable experience that can pay dividends down the road. Having Rhett and Austin back will be a big boost for us especially from a leadership standpoint. It’s so hard to lead from the sideline, but those guys did a great job of doing what they needed to do to get back on the field.

3. What was it like coaching these seniors, especially Joe Provenzano who was your first recruit here at McNeese?

Hill: It’s always hard to say goodbye to the seniors. You’ve had a chance to be with them from their first day on campus all the way to their last game as a Cowboy. When you think of them, you don’t just think of their best or worst moment, you think of them as the person that they’ve become and the journey they took to get there.

4. Everyone sees the hit, home runs, strike outs, etc. What are things that stood out that fans may not notice in the stats?

Hill: This is one of the most interesting stats I’ve ever seen – in the early part of the season, I asked our coaches if any of them could remember any infield errors that had been made against us – no one could, so we went back through the games and there had been more dropped fly balls than infield errors. In fact, it wasn’t until game 22 that an opposing short stop made an error. I kept thinking at some point the percentages would even out, but they never did. It’s hard to score runs without some help from the defense, and we just didn’t get much of that this year. In fact, our opponents only made 45 errors and fielded at a .979 percentage which would be the equivalent of playing against a top-10 defense every single game.

5. You had three players drafted in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft, the most for McNeese since 2011. In your five years as head coach, you’ve seen eight players drafted. What does that say about the program as a whole?

Hill: I think this speaks to a couple of points. First of all, our coaches have done a great job of identifying good players and bringing them to McNeese. We are in the middle of a highly competitive area, and they continue to bring in student-athletes that McNeese can be proud of both on and off the field. Secondly, it’s one thing to bring good players to campus, it’s another for them to leave as a professional baseball player. Player development is front & center in our program. We’ve proved that players get better in our program and they are prepared for the demands of professional baseball.

6. There have been numerous improvements to Joe Miller Ballpark since your arrival in 2014. Is there anything new on the horizon that you can talk about?

Hill: We try to take on a major project every year. This past season, we invested in an area that wasn’t visible to the fans, but it was used on a daily basis by our players. We revamped our indoor facility adding new nets, turf, and LED lighting. We also purchased some video equipment, a new pitching machine, and some other items for our pitchers. We had some people step up to fund the project that ended up being around $40,000. This year’s project may end up having a few phases depending on how some of the bids come back, but I feel confident that our outfield wall will look a little different before our first home game.

7. You see more and more mid-major programs advancing to the Super Regionals and the College World Series. What does it take to make a run like that and is that something that is a possibility for the Cowboys and not just a dream?

Hill: Omaha is always the goal. It’s hard as hell to get there. Not only do you have to be good, you’ve got to have some good fortune along the way. Can the Cowboys get there? Absolutely. I know this, you will never get there unless you believe you can, and I believe we can do that. It will take an Omaha work ethic – it’s only impossible until impossible until it’s done.

8. What does the 2019 season look like for the Cowboys?

Hill: Every team, every season is different, but one thing I can say for sure – we have a group that is very hungry. I can’t wait to get started.