A brisk wind whipped across the McKie Field infield at Hayden Park on a late March afternoon as Miami University baseball Head Coach Dan Simonds' squad took pregame warm-ups.
"Turn two now," yelled the skipper, now in his eighth year as head coach. He watched the final warm-ups intently and stood proudly behind home plate.
It was not an ordinary fall for Simonds as he welcomed 10 first-years to an already young team of ballplayers. It was not ordinary because the RedHawks would play the 27 of their first 31 ballgames on the road. It was not ordinary to be picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East on top of these two monumental challenges.
But two things have been occurring early and often for this club: victories and solid team chemistry.
"There are no superstars on this team," Simonds said. "This team pulls for one another. This team's chemistry is some of the best we have had in a long time."
Swaying back and forth in the third base coaching box, Simonds is not shy to rub elbows with the men in blue. The Boston native can be seen rubbing elbows with an umpire if a questionable call does not go his way.
Miami is sitting in third in MAC East following a sweep at the hands of MAC East leader Kent State University. Still, the team was atop the MAC Eastern Division before the series and Simonds is ready to roll with his confident team.
"We need to focus on getting better every game at this point," Simonds said. "We have tremendous leadership from our seniors and our young guys are filling roles nicely by taking the next man up approach."
Simonds is no stranger to this approach as he starred at Davidson College during his college career and later was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. He reached the big leagues, but not in the way he had hoped: as a bullpen catcher for the Chicago Cubs in 1992. This, however, turned into the start of his coaching career, and he said he values the great minds he studied first hand for over two years in the majors.
"To see what it takes to play the game at that level, and to see the everyday consistency and hard work that is required had the biggest impact on me," Simonds said. "That is what started my coaching foundation and that is the same thing I try and advocate to the kids today."
Baseball is not the end game for Simonds' coaching philosophy. The Davidson graduate said he understands the importance of getting a degree at Miami and refers to it as a main focus of his recruiting pitches. Off the field, 11 players have become Academic All-MAC honorees under Simonds' tutelage.
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"The opportunity to be able to walk out of here with a degree from one of the best schools in the country is what is most important," Simonds said.
Digging into the batter's box across the world, Simonds found himself in the former Soviet Union in 1989. Two weeks of teaching the unknown game of baseball to young people via the Diamond Diplomacy Tour turned out to be one of the best experiences of the Simonds' life, he said.
"The opportunity to teach the game I love, and the chance to represent my country in a positive way, made this an extraordinary experience," Simonds stated.
Simonds said his worldly experience will play a big part in motivating his squad in the second half of the season.
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