CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

A year ago, Brian Green witnessed one of the most impressive performances in college baseball history: Kentucky's A.J. Reed won 12 games on the mound while also leading the country in home runs and slugging.

First Inning – How rewarding is it to become the head coach at your alma mater?
Sitting down at the press conference in Las Cruces was one of the most emotional and special moments of my life next to my wedding day and the birth of my two daughters. My experiences in Las Cruces were kept close to my heart, and returning back to lead this program has been a dream come true.

Second Inning – How difficult was it to leave Kentucky?
Just as exciting as it was to return to Las Cruces was the pain of leaving Lexington. I owe Gary Henderson and Mitch Barnhardt for an incredible experience in learning coaching and competing at Kentucky and in the SEC. Becki and I met lifelong friends, and it was beyond emotional in our departure.

Third Inning – You’ve coached in the SEC with the Wildcats and in the Pac-12 with UCLA and Oregon State. What are some of the similarities between the two conferences? What are some of the differences?
Well, the baseball is outstanding. Week in and week out, particularly being a hitting coach, you are challenged beyond belief facing some of the premier arms in America, and both conferences demand that as a coach you remain stable and consistent because there will without question be some painful lows...it is really what puts so much emphasis for me personally on team culture, as the teams able to stick together could usually find themselves still in the mix at year’s end. The differences are minimal, except for the big one, and that was the facility piece. The SEC afforded the opportunity to play in front of 10,000 fans on given weekends, which was an incredible experience for all involved. The other difference was the experience of competing in a conference tournament. The SEC Tourney in Hoover is as first-class a tournament experience I had ever been privileged enough to be a part of.

Fourth Inning – What was it like coaching National Player of the Year A.J. Reed, who credited you for helping him go from a subpar sophomore season to a monster junior year?
What an incredible ride A.J. took all of us on last year. Never have I been a part of a team where an entire group was rooting for one individual to gain national recognition. That was largely in part of A.J.’s personality; he puts the team ahead of himself and it helped to create a culture of family and togetherness that was very special. What he did on the mound and at the plate was one of the most remarkable seasons in college baseball history. Twelve wins on the mound and to lead the country in home runs and slugging.

Fifth Inning – What are three things you look for when recruiting a hitter?
Balance, bat speed and the ability to recognize pitches

Sixth Inning – What is the toughest transition/adjustment a high school hitter has to make when he gets to college?
There are probably three things:
1) There is adversity that has most likely never been dealt with and is important in dealing with the kids in that first fall semester or quarter.
2) The ability to handle an outer-half fastball, as pitcher command at the college level tends to live much further away from the middle vs. high school
3) Secondary stuff. Both command and actual stuff of the pitch can be a new experience in that first year...

Seventh Inning – What are some of your team’s strengths heading into 2015?
We like our group. We enter the season with much game experience, which is always valuable...We have 26 seniors and juniors on the current roster, and we feel very optimistic about the culture of the group and are working hard to strengthen our liking, caring and respecting of each other. Our competitive level in the fall continued to improve weekly, and we are fired up to begin team practice!

Eighth Inning – Who are a couple of your coaching influences?
I have been impacted by many coaches and was blessed by my parents who always pounded into me that there is something great to take from every person you encounter. Rich Hill taught me the value of family culture and motivation, John Savage in many areas, but particularly how to recruit and evaluate, Gary Henderson for the value of showing up every day and work ethic and Elliot Avent, for the concept of team and fighting for each other.....and I could keep going! Coach [Pat] Casey gave me a huge break to be the volunteer at Oregon State and Mike Trapasso to be his hitting coach for two years at Hawaii. Forever grateful!

Ninth Inning – What would you be doing if you weren’t coaching baseball?
I absolutely have no idea, ha ha!