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Dustin
Coffman is completing his third year of coaching college baseball. He began his
coaching career as a student manager at Indiana University in 2009 and was
promoted the following year to volunteer assistant. Coffman spent the 2010
summer in the Coastal Plain League with the Edenton Steamers, who finished Top 5
in the country. From Edenton, Coffman took his first paid position at Wabash
Valley College. Over the past two seasons, the Warriors have compiled a 93-30
record and have been ranked as high as No. 3 in NJCAA baseball. In summer 2011,
Coffman was hired to be an assistant baseball coach with the Bourne Braves in
the storied Cape Cod League where he will return this summer.
A
native of Granger, Ind., Coffman earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science
from Indiana in 2009 and is working on a master’s degree in applied sports
studies from IU.
Coffman will share his thoughts throughout the 2012 Cape Cod season.
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June 24, 2012
Mr. Adversity
 It’s
a cold, cloudy, rainy day in Bourne, Massachusetts. The fans start to pour into
Doran Park, while Peter Gammons is in front of our dugout talking to fellow Tar
Heel and Bourne Braves third baseman Colin Moran. The Braves are currently 2-4
on the year and sit in fourth place in the Western Division. Through the first
six games of the summer the Bourne pitching staff has had four quality starts,
Nebraska’s Jon Keller was dominate through five innings against Hyannis on
Opening Night at Doran Park while Louisville’s Jeff Thompson followed with five
brilliant innings of his own to beat the Cotuit Kettleers. Ohio State’s Jaron
Long and Ole Miss RHP Mike Mayers both had strong outings this week for the
Bourne Braves.
 The
Braves offense has gotten off to a slow start, as do most offenses year after
year in the Cape. These are some of the best hitters in the country, but they
have never CONSISTENTLY seen pitching like this. Your average Cape pitcher is
throwing 91-92 mph, with hammers that fall of the table, and filthy changeups.
That’s just your average guy; it’s not uncommon to see 95, 96, 97, or even 98
for STRIKES. The main thing we are trying to work on right now with our tee
work, front toss work, and our batting practice is to get our guys to hit the
ball the other way. Having the approach of hitting the ball the other way allows
the hitter to stay on the ball longer, which will allow you to keep the bat in
the zone longer, which gives us a higher margin of error. Kids who swing out
there butt and get pull-happy do not do very well in the league.
 I
had the opportunity to speak with a scout from the Minnesota Twins before our
game last night. The Twins, who are considered small market, have been one of
the most successful franchises over the past 10 years. “How have you guys been
able to be so good for so long while spending peanuts?” I asked him. We don’t
have a lot of money to spend so we rely heavily on the draft. We really have to
do our homework before we draft a kid, because if we miss on a kid in the draft
this may set us back years. For the Twins, they are obviously looking for talent
but there big thing is a kid’s make up. Does this kid really love the game? Does
he have off-the-field baggage? Can he handle failure? Maybe the most underrated
thing that gets over looked by scouts is does this kid have a burning desire, a
love, and passion to make it?
I love it! It’s so easy to see stats or radar guns but the kids
that make it in pro ball, the Cape, or in life are the ones who can handle
failure and just flat out want it more!
Best
DC
(photos courtesy of Dustin Coffman) |
