Andrew Wright knew he was entering a good situation when he accepted the University of Charleston head baseball coaching job in June. But settling into the job has gone beyond even his expectations.
"The administration made the transition very easy and the players have made it even easier," said Wright, who had been head baseball coach at Concord since 2010. "The returning players are certainly buying into what we're trying to do and the new guys we've brought in have all jelled pretty seamlessly."
Now Wright, who replaced former coach Lee Bradley, will see if the cohesion he's seen in the offseason translates to the diamond. The Golden Eagles haven't seen a winning season since 2012 and stumbled to a 13-32 mark in 2015, losing 10 of their last 12 games. Their first chance to take the field comes at noon Saturday with a doubleheader against King University in Bristol, Tennessee.
The first-year coach has a history of success. In five seasons with the Mountain Lions, the team averaged 31 wins, won a school record 38 games in 2014, won at least 30 games in each of the last three seasons and won West Virginia Conference titles in 2011 and 2013.
Wright will lean on both established players and newcomers in UC's attempt to rebound in the record books. The foursome he plans on starting on the mound this weekend returns from last season - seniors Tyler Shreve and David Webb and juniors Andy Hoyer and Anthony Brunetti, who also started in the outfield and led the Golden Eagles in batting average (.369), doubles (14), triples (five), home runs (three) and RBIs (27).
"Our pitching staff, I think, is going to be as strong as anyone in the conference, to be honest with you," Wright said. "We feel like we have what it takes. Being in this conference for a while, you really only need about six or eight arms who can go out and throw strikes consistently."
Wright also pointed out several transfers who should make an immediate impact. Sophomore infielder Will Lucas was slated to play for the University of Akron until the team dropped its program. Graduate transfer outfielder Jeremy Tejada comes from Southern New Hampshire, while sophomore infielder Ryan Hunt comes from USC-Aiken. UC picked up a pair from Northern Kentucky, freshman outfielder Franco Morello and junior pitcher Adam Jafine.
The major plus, Wright said, is that, except for Tejada, all those transfers have multiple years to play. He also said their attitude will serve them well.
"They're also coming in with a chip on their shoulder, too," Wright said. "For whatever reason, they're no longer at the [former] institution and they feel like they have something to prove. We have pretty high standards for what we expect when they come play for us, and they hit the mark on every single one of them."
Whether the players are vets or in their first year in the program, everyone is working with a clean slate, Wright said. The events of the past are irrelevant, and the team will approach the season with a different outlook.
Wright is stressing accountability in his first year with the Golden Eagles, reminding the team that consequences come from both good and bad actions. The success that UC sees on the diamond will come from the players' approach in every aspect of the game.
"I want winning behaviors, because I think what's going to happen is the more you double up winning behaviors, the more the wins are going to take care of themselves," Wright said. "The things we talk about in the recruiting process and the things we tried to work with our guys about in the fall was just this is what winners do, let's make sure we act that way."