South Anchorage Legion Baseball: Coach Comments

Players and Families,

Here we are again with the start of high school baseball just a little over a week away.  I am excited for the young men to take the field and demonstrate their abilities as baseball players and sportsmen.  I am frequently asked about my expectations for the team and to forecast our season.  Certainly not an easy thing to do, but part of the fun.  Those that know me well enough, probably know my expectations, that never waivers and is easy to predict.  Our team outlook is however another matter. 

South baseball has only been in existence since 2005, yet we have enjoyed some measurable early successes.  Winners of the 2007 Cook Inlet Conference Title, 2007 Legion State Championship, and the 2009 Legion State Championship.  The bar has been set. 

The high school season is a very short season, but always a good measuring stick for how well the program will fare each season.  I really like the collective young men we have in this program and feel the talent is there to put together something special.  We certainly have some youth, evident by the fact we have six sophomores currently on the varsity roster.  This will require us to work hard on communication and to be quick studies on the field.  We will rely heavily on our more experienced players to set the tone and lead the team.  Overall, I certainly believe we will score runs offensively.  Pitching, defense, and team cohesion are the questions this 2010 high school team will have to answer for themselves and respond too.  I believe in our players abilities but it remains with them to dictate the course the season will take. 

Heres to a fun and safe season.  Please bring out the support as I know the players enjoy having fan participation.  Please Taylar, watch over us and guide these young men.  The spirit of "The Babe" is within us all.

Coach Williams 

Players, Families, and Friends:Where to start?

I am very proud of the boys for executing their ultimate goal for the 2009 season, a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!  It is a great feeling to know that despite the challenges we faced throughout the 2009 campaign we channeled it appropriately and stayed the course.  We, the coaches, felt strongly going into the tournament we were ready to make a run, we were prepared; everybody was doing their jobs and playing to their roles. 

During the regular season we won a record 16 league games by going 16-3-1 in league play.  The previous South program record high was 15-5 set in 2007 and again achieved in 2008 respectively.  We knew the boys could hit with any team in the state, as coaches we frequently talked about the fact we are the best hitting team in the state.  The concern coming in was pitching, did we have enough? We would have to step it up with our guys pitching more innings and on short rest.  We asked a lot of our staff during State and they delivered.  Other than the 15-5 drubbing we took in the famous “what if game” against Fairbanks, our pitching was solid.  Winning the title the next day and exacting a little revenge made the night previous a distant memory never worth whispering again!

Let’s not forget the defense, we had guys moving around to different positions in both the infield and outfield and the defense was stellar despite all the changing.  It kept us sharp and ultimately defense is what won us the closely contested Service game earlier in the tournament, by the score of 7-5.  The Service defense gave us opportunities and it was the difference maker.  Our defense held ground throughout the tournament, while our opponents couldn’t match up.

All in all, a great achievement and I feel blessed to be a part of it.  We have a special thing going on in front of our eyes.  We are laying the foundation for building a program versus just competing as a team.  For me, this means continuing to raise the bar of expectation and setting standards of excellence.  The idea that we never look to rebuild, rather we keep the pipeline going by putting the best team on the field knowing we have a chance to compete.  I see the successes of our younger players playing at the A level.  I am proud of your accomplishments, I truly am.  I do have a message though:

Come to fall baseball and winter workouts ready to compete and challenge your abilities.  Be apt for change with focus on how to improve your skills while understanding that team stands above all.  Some of you will need to change positions for the betterment of the team.  Be flexible, strive for excellence and let’s have fun reloading the “South Train”.  I am excited about what lay ahead.

This championship is for you Taylar #1 - We miss you kid!!!

Coach Williams     

Players, Parents, and Fans,

Omaha trip (AA team): The AA team just returned from Omaha, NE where we competed in the Battle of Omaha tournament.  This is a great event because it runs concurrent with the College World Series.  Our players got to watch four CWS games and we competed in four games in the Battle of Omaha tournament.  Weather was certainly an issue, but we managed to get some games in late before our return home to Anchorage.  Overall, I deem the trip a real success as it is a great team builder to have the players spend a great deal of time together both on and off the field.  It did come to light that our players need to work on their respective beach ball inflating skills.  Some players just didnt seem to have the necessary skills to keep up with others while trying to introduce several beach balls into the crowd at the CWS! 

Mid-Season: We have reached the middle of the season and it appears we are fielding really competitive teams at both the A and AA levels.  Realizing that "winning isn't everything" but confirming that it ultimately matters, I am proud of where we sit going into the home stretch of the season as we try to achieve some of the goals we set each year.  I know a lot of players just completed the College Coaches Camp and hopefully all were able to get something out of it to better themselves as players. 

Fairbanks Trip: I know both teams are about to make the bi-annual trip to Fairbanks for some regular season play.  All players will be on one collective bus which always makes for fun times. I just want to reiterate the importance of being safe and watching out for one another as teammates.  Road trips can be a great experience as long as we handle to road appropriately. 

Good luck the rest of the way,

Coach Williams

To all of you,

This is a difficult time for us all with the loss of one of our own.  Words are harder to find and the feelings we have can be overwhelming.  Right after the tragedy occurred I kept having feelings of anger and kept trying to find reason or purpose as to why such things happen.  Soon after, I began to realize it isn't always important to find reason or purpose.  It is OK to just experience your feelings and revisit memories you have shared with Taylar and others in our program.  I have found joy in the simple things, memories of Taylar that before might not have seemed significant, but stand out clearly in my mind today as when they occurred.  Such memories are proof of life, giving some reason, but more importantly helping us heal the wounds we experience today.

We are a team, a family, a community and we will all get through this together taking each day one at a time, stopping to appreciate the moment, this day we have been given.  Ultimately, I think a return to the field will be therapeutic for us all.  I am hopeful that remembrance of Taylar and his family will further our appreciation of how blessed we are to be a part of the South Anchorage baseball program.  When the words "Play Ball" are heard we will take the field knowing that Taylar now sits above watching the game from the best seat in the house.  I hope we play with passion and a sense of purpose which demonstrates our honor and respect for the game.  Let our love for the game and the way we play it, carry on the memory of Taylar.  

We love you Taylar, your smile will be forever missed.  Your love for baseball will be carried on by us all.  Show those angels you can hit the curve!

Coach Williams