Baseball Factory is privileged to work with programs from every level of college baseball. We strive to educate and guide our players when it comes to choosing the right school. In our latest interview, Woody Wingfield spoke with Head Coach Andrew Wright from Concord University. Checkout what Coach Wright looks for in recruits, how video impacts his program and what he thinks about the facilities at Concord.

1.    How long have you been coaching?  How long at Concord?

I am going into my eight year at the college level and my second as the head coach at Concord.

2.    Who are some of your mentors or coaches that you look up to?

My late father, for starters, he is the reason I do this.  I had the chance to see the impact he had on so many people in his 30+ years of coaching at the youth and prep level, and that is what drives me. Kevin Garrett, who was my head coach in college and is now the Athletic Director at Concord.  He has been a big part of my life both personally and professionally and I owe him a lot for having the confidence in me to run this program.  I would also like to recognize Greg Van Zant who gave me the opportunity to be at the Division I level for three years at WVU.  I have been fortunate to have worked with some great assistant coaches, including Pat Sherald and Bruce Cameron.  Chris Rodriguez, head coach at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, MD, has been a big influence, as well along with Kevin, Ed, and Mark Gibbs (of St. John’s College High School in Washington, DC) for all they have done for me over the years.

3.    You’re a graduate of Concord, so what’s the first thing about your school and program that you want recruits to know about?

That if they choose Concord, the will have an opportunity to get a good education and compete in a championship program.  I truly believe that with our outstanding academic reputation and all of the work that Kevin Garrett has put into this program over the last 15 years, we are in a position to provide both of those things.

4.    What do you look for in a prospective recruit on the field? Off the field?

On the field, we look first and foremost for athleticism.  I believe in our ability to develop talent here and to teach the game.  The style of play that I prefer lends itself to guys who can handle the bat and run.  On the mound, “pitchability” trumps velocity in our program.   Aside from all of that, we are looking for guys who are willing to compete and do championship work.

Off the field, we look for guys who are of high character and who are willing to buy into everything that it takes to be in the Mountain Lion Baseball Program.  We want guys who are good students, and more importantly, good people.

5.    How has video helped you in the recruiting process?

Video is a big deal to us.  With limited resources to be on the road as much as we need to be, we have to be smart about our process and video helps us in that respect.  We have had a lot of success with video and it will remain a big part of what we do.

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6.    You all had an incredible run to win the WVIAC Championship last year and make the postseason. How is that going to translate to the 2011-2012 team?

I think it validates everything that we have done up to this point.  All of the competitions, conditioning, and “27 outs” exercises.   We only graduated three [players] so with the experience that we have returning not only from experiencing a WVIAC Championship and an NCAA Regional, but having experienced what it took to get there is going be a big deal for us.  It is a lot easier to go through what we go through as a program now that they have seen that it can pay off.

7.    What part of the 2012 spring schedule are you looking forward to the most?

We are looking forward to the first game.  That’s when you know if you are ready or not.  That’s when you know if you have done enough or what you need to work on in order to truly be a championship team.  We have a very challenging out of conference schedule and it is by design.  

8.    Can you break down your fall practice schedule? What do you try to accomplish?

Our fall is all about evaluating and teaching.  It’s an exciting time for me because I have such a passion for teaching the game and seeing our guys develop.  Our allotted fall practices are mainly based around scrimmaging at least three times a week.  After our fall season is over we get into conditioning and that ends with our “233 Challenge.”

9.    Do you have a strength and conditioning coach?

We are fortunate to have Jesse Miller, a CU Alum and former WVU and University of Michigan strength coach helping us.  His experience is off the charts and his approach is second to none.  Our strength program is a big part of what we do.

10.    What can you tell us about your facilities?

We are fortunate at Concord because I feel as though we have everything that we need to get better.  Anderson Field is located on campus and we are fortunate to have the Carter Center that houses two gymnasiums that allow us to get work done in the winter.  We have excellent weight room and athletic training facilities, as well.

11.    Is there anything you would like to add about your assistant coaches, recruits, parents, or program that we have not asked you about?

We have recently hired Jeff Jefferson, a Liberty University alum as our hitting coach.  I am truly excited about the hire, as he has bought into our goal of making this a nationally prominent baseball program.  Lastly, as an alumnus of Concord, I want our program to be something we can all be proud of and that’s why I expect so much out of our staff and players.  

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