Q:How many seasons have you coached baseball at Mt. Vernon?

A:This is my third season as head coach. I was an assistant in 2012.

Q:Would you consider most of those seasons a success at this point, or do you think those teams underachieved?

A:My first season we were 15-13 overall and 9-5 in conference. Last year we were 18-9 overall and 9-5 in conference.

The first season was rough. There were some times when the team and I were not on the same page. Last year was an improvement with regards to our record and our team culture.

Q:Do you think the team will struggle to replace the players who graduated after last season, or do you see guys that are ready to step in?

A:We lost a number of very good players, but I think we have guys who can step in and take their places. I think our team is very deep this year. We have a number of guys who can play at the varsity level.

Q:Who do you think has made the biggest stride over the offseason in terms of personal improvement?

A:In terms of overall play, I think Mitch McCarthy, Sam Norman, and Zach Roach have improved the most. Mitch pitched for the most part last year and had a few at bats here and there. This year he will bat in the top half of the lineup and play outfield and first base in addition to pitching. Sam and Zach were, essentially, courtesy runners all year last year, [meaning] they’d run for the catcher in certain situations, but they have both worked really hard to get stronger and better in the outfield. Zach almost decided not to play this season. I’m really happy that he changed his mind.

The junior class is going to surprise a lot of people. They have almost zero varsity experience, but they have all been working really hard in the off season and will contribute as a whole.

Q:Which position group would you say is the team’s strongest, and who are those players?

A:I don’t know that we have a single group that stands out. I think our hitting and defense is going to be strong, and I think our top two pitchers, Ryan Beck and Caleb Rush, are going to dominate in conference this year.

Q:What are your goals for the team as a whole this year?

A:My goal, every year, is to win the conference.

Q:The team went viral a couple of weeks ago when the video of you doing Zumba was posted on YouTube. Is Zumba an activity that you regularly partake in to get the team in shape?

A:We did zumba as a way to mix things up. We’ve been working out since September. Doing the same workout every day gets stale after a while. Mrs. Ousley walked by us a few times on her way to leading her zumba class for teachers and we talked about how fun it would be for her to lead us in a class. She said she’d do it, so…we did zumba.

Jennifer McGowen