Auburn, ME – Last spring, the Mustangs baseball team fell in the YSCC Championship to rival SMCC. During that off-season, the coaching staff quickly got to work to improve the team in order to get them over that hump. It started off with adding Dave Walsh to the coaching staff as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.
Walsh started his coaching career at Fenway High School in Boston as the varsity head coach. He continued to have head coaching stints at Pine Manor College, Bancroft Bandits, SMCC, and Framingham State University before accepting his current role at CM. He also is currently the Director and Head of Player Development at Sluggers Academy in Medfield, MA. So, I guess you could say this guy bleeds baseball.
His role as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator including making sure the players are developing and making sure the practice and game plans are being executed. He works with Head Coach, Ryan Palmer, closely during games for in-game decision making. On the recruiting side, he is responsible for making sure they bring in quality kids and talent each year. On the diamond, his specific duties including working with the infields and the hitters.
The recruiting process has always been a love of his and he finds it to be a strong suit for him. Walsh states, "The process has been very successful thus far, it is easy to recruit players with such a beautiful campus and playing field on campus. When the recruits feel the passion I have for the school, campus, and the game it tends to be a no-brainer for the recruits." Recruiting players to campus is part of the what Walsh enjoys most about building a program. He likes to give kids opportunities to get an education, play baseball, develop, play the game the right way and build a program. Through his coaching career, he has a history of successfully building programs and making them into a winning program where future recruits want to come!
Walsh believes the key to a successful team is: "Be Humble! Be Accomplished! Be Great!" To be humble, the players are doing the right things on and off the field with pride and respect like they have been there before. Every player on the team, including the coaching staff are working towards one common goal, working to get better each day and handling adversity as a unit finds themselves being accomplished. To be great, communication on and off the field is what builds relationships, bonds, and success.
So far, the CM Baseball team is off to a hot start. They finished their Fall season with a record of 15-3 which included winning the YSCC Fall Classic against rival SMCC. "The guys started to really buy into the system and the development aspect. We still have a lot of work that needs to be done in order to be the team and program I know CM can be," added Walsh. With a competitive Spring schedule ahead, the Mustangs are going to see who they really are and where the need to go fairly quickly.
For Walsh, his experience at CM has been great overall as he feels the family atmosphere that is so key to the environment here. Walsh was thankful that his former coaching stint at rival SMCC didn't play into how he was received by the Mustang faithful stating that he has been appreciated and welcomed with open arms. His favorite moment so far was after the team loss to SMCC at home early into this season. Walsh added that, "The boys took the adjustments we needed to make while preparing for SMCC again. Watching them get better, understand and develop during that preparation was huge stepping stone for the team. It was great to see them put those adjustments in the game and come out with 2 wins against SMCC."
The Mustangs will be back in action when they travel to Myrtle Beach in the beginning of March to take on competitive NJCAA teams. There is no question this team has the capability of reaching their goals this season and with coaches like Dave Walsh supporting them, their goals are definitely within reach.
