Lance Rhodes Press Conference Transcript

SIU first-year head coach Lance Rhodes met the media on Tuesday to preview the 2020 baseball season. Below is a partial transcript. To view the entire press conference, watch on YouTube.

Opening statement

"First of all, it's good to be up here because that means our season is right around the corner. We're extremely excited to get going with the group of guys, and it's been an awesome group to coach up to this point. The energy and the effort that they bring every single day is everything that this coaching staff could've asked for, and it's a very unique team to where we have 21 of our 30 guys on our roster are juniors or seniors, so it's a very mature roster. The work ethic that they bring every single day is exactly what you would expect out of a very mature team. We've been at it since January 13, and the one fortunate thing that we've had this year is we've been outside every single day. Literally every single day we've had the weather to get outside. Being in the Midwest, you cross your fingers going into opening weekend to play, hoping that you're ready to catch the fly balls that you haven't got an opportunity to do in an indoor facility. Or, (you're wondering), are the pitchers going to be able to throw strikes when we get out on an open field? All of our intrasquads, all of our live AB's, all of our batting practice settings, everything's been outside. This is the most that I've ever been outside as a coach going into an opening weekend. I actually talked to our coaching staff the other day and we almost wish we were going to open up this weekend because we feel like we've just been outside so much that our guys are ready to go compete against another opponent. It's been a great preseason as far as getting to the point and staying healthy. We've had great competition for many spots on the field that are still wide open. We probably have 5 spots in the lineup that guys are competing for right now to get in the opening day lineup. We've set up the pitching to where we've given 6 guys the opportunity to fill in the 5 potential starting opportunities, and the some of those guys will fill into the bullpen roles. It's been a very competitive preseason and our guys have gotten after it every day. We're just ready to face somebody with a different uniform. We're excited."

What are you looking for from you starting pitchers?

"The biggest thing is we have to have strike throwers at the top of the rotation that are going to go out there and log, for the most part, the most innings on our entire staff. Hopefully, we also have guys that are able to throw multiple pitches for strikes and be able to go out there and repeat it for an extended period of time, 4 or 5 innings. In the offseason, you're hopeful that you can get the guys to a pitch count where they can go out on opening day and throw 5, 6, 7 innings. Our goal going into opening weekend was to get our potential 6 starters up to 90 pitches. The game will always have more intensity than scrimmages; if we can get them to 90 pitches this week, hopefully they'll be able to out there and give us 75-80 good quality pitches on opening weekend."

What is the best attribute of your team?

"When you look at the entire team, the one thing that we possess offensively is the speed of the game. We can play the game in an extremely fast pace, and we'll be able to cause a lot of havoc on the bases. The biggest thing that we had to make adjustments from last year, is to be able to hit our way on the base at a higher level than we did in the past. We've kind of revamped the hitting approach. It's taken a long time. We've scrapped it from the very beginning and started from ground zero and continued to build through today. When you look at our lineup, they're going to be very mature hitters who are going into their 3rd, 4th, even redshirt senior years. They've had a lot of college at-bats under their belts. They won't get intimidated by the pressure of the game and really slow the moment down. Our guys are super athletic and extremely fast. We'll cause a lot of headaches when we get on the bases."

Is (speed) you style, or are you adjusting to your personnel?

"I think you adjust year-to-year with the personnel that you have. Again, we have great team speed, but we've concentrated our efforts on standing in the box and working on our approach: the swing, and swing development. That way, we can hit at a higher clip. Because, when we get into conference and we play some really good teams in non-conference, we're going to have to hit our way onto first base. We're not going to be able to sit there and draw as many walks because the pitchers are going to challenge us. The biggest thing for us right now is just being able to hammer home and approach offensively -- a sound approach that we can take into every single opponent. We have to be a better offensive club swinging the bat this year if we want to achieve the things offensively that we hope to do."

Would you prefer as many base hits as possible or just get on base?

"Just get on base any way possible. You have to be on base to score runs. It's just an aggressive mentality, but within that aggressive mentality, we are disciplined enough to not expand the strike zone. But, when they do come in there, we're not going to be timid with it. We're going to let the opposing team know that if they throw it over the white that were going to be ready to swing the bat. We're not going to be afraid to hit doubles and home runs. Those are all great things but, when we don't hit that double or home run, when our guys are standing on first base for the most part, three-quarters of our lineup when they're standing on first base potentially can turn that into a double or a triple with the speed that they possess to steal a bag. Again that's going to cause a lot of headaches for the opposing team."

What have you seen from local players?

"In this area, Mitchell Jackson, he's a kid that when I got the job just knowing that he was a draft pick obviously perks your ears and you want to know what this kid is all about. From the time that he's got here to where he is now, it has been like a 180-degree change, just the work that he's put in the weight room. He's added a ton of strength. He's a guy that when I look at him right now, by the time that he gets into the middle of his freshman year, at the end of his freshman year and going into sophomore year, he should be on track to be one of the better pitchers that comes though this program. He's got the ability to be that good, and I expect a lot out of him as a freshman. He's going to play a major role right from opening weekend on."

What have you seen from Brad Harrison?

"Brad's been good. He was off to a slower start this fall because he was coming back from some arm injuries that he battled through last year, so we've taken the progression slow with Brad, but he's on pace to hit the 90 pitch mark this weekend. He's felt as good as he's felt in a really long time, so he's got a chance to be one of those weekend guys."

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