The Observer, March 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 19
Baseball coach Englander arrives at Case
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The Fighting Scots' two-time All-American, right-handed pitcher had gone from throwing heat to serving hot food. He never thought he'd be waiting tables, and, contrary to everyone else's opinion, he knew he wouldn't be coaching. However, he found himself doing both after graduating from the College of Wooster. "I was just scraping by," said Matt Englander, first-year coach of the Case baseball team.
At first coaching was just a volunteer position after he clocked out from the restaurant. Then his former coach and soon-to-be mentor, Tim Pettorini, offered him an assistant coaching job. Englander soon became Pettorini's shadow. Wherever the coach went, Englander followed. Pettorini had been at Wooster for 26 years, and had accumulated over 900 wins. His team was consistently in the top 10 in the nation. Englander didn't want to let him down.
"It wasn't like wow, what do I do," said Englander. "It was more like, 'we're the number one team in the country, don't screw this up.'" While most colleges made 40 phone calls a night to recruits, Englander made 80. Recruiting was his primary task.
Englander is a younger coach, in his mid-twenties, who stands about six feet tall. His blonde hair is in a simple buzzcut. His voice is enthusiastic when he talks about his team and the school. As a result he sees much success in the science of recruiting.
Oddly enough, that's how he found out about Case. "I was talking to a recruit," Englander said. "And he mentioned Case didn't have a coach. So I called." In early May of last year, Englander was offered the job, and by July 1 he was on campus preparing for next season.
"I am not a patient person at all," said Englander. "And here, each day is something different. There isn't a single thing we're not trying to change."
Englander's coaching philosophy is centered on hard work, effort, and innovation. He has set the bar high for his players this year in the off-season. Proof of that is the number of players on the roster dropping from 26 to 16.
"I only want people that want to be here, who want to win," said Englander. "If you'd rather go hang out with your girlfriend or your buddies than play baseball, that's fine, you're not helping the team anyways."
However, Englander is not removed from his players as a coach. While at Wooster he always seemed to be more of a consoler. "Coach Petterino would rip their [butt]," Englander said. "Then I'd come up and pat it. Here, I am more direct, blunt and intense, but I don't really yell." He tries to create a balance of seriousness and fun during practice, while maintaining that hard-nosed work ethic.
He looks upon his seniors to portray this attitude as well. Case has five seniors this season: J.R. Doolos, John Thuermer, Kevin Sudnik, Dave Adams, and Marshall Hampton. With only one week left before their first game, Englander couldn't be more proud of them.
"The guys have been working their [butts] off," said Englander. "I am really optimistic; we are going to win games. Right now we just need to focus on getting better. We need to be better hitters, better fielders, and better pitchers."
Yet Englander is not alone in trying to turn the program around. He has four assistants that are there almost every day at practice. "It's a team effort," said Englander. "I may be coaching pitchers, but if I see a fielder doing something wrong, I correct it. If another coach sees one of my pitchers doing something wrong, they correct it."
The university and athletic department are also trying to turn the program around. Just this winter they began building a brand new stadium around the baseball diamond. "It is easy to get kids to come here when they see the facilities," Englander said. "When they see the dedication from the school it helps a lot. Not only do they see they can come here to be the best doctor or engineer, but the best athlete as well."
Although the team won't be able to play at home until March 25, they are anxious to get their season started tomorrow in Kentucky against Thomas More College. "We'd like to get four games in before we go down to Florida for the conference tournament," said Englander. "We'll see if the weather cooperates."
Hopefully it will, giving the Spartans a chance to create a little chemistry within the team and get some game experience before the tournament. Not to mention that Englander's patience will drop like a pop fly if he has to wait another week to see his team play.
