Second-year coach Burke Heide is looking forward to the season with the U18 AAA Carillon Sultans, and he believes the group is primed for a special season.
"I'm just excited to get started," Heide says with a chuckle. "We've had a lot of games and practices cancelled to this point. Just hoping it clears up and we can get outside consistently."
Youthful strength
While building out the roster, Heide says everything has come together very well, and being young is a real opportunity for the team to grow. "I think I'm very excited about the depth of this group and how it's a young group that seems eager to grow and learn as we go. We had a bit more of a veteran team last year, and so having those young guys and seeing how eager they are to learn the game at this level. It's going to be exciting."
High expectations
Looking ahead, Heide believes this group is going to be a team to be reckoned with throughout, and with it, he hopes they can accomplish a lot. "I think I would be disappointed if we weren't among the top five or six teams in the province this year," he says confidently. "We have a strong group, and I believe we belong in the conversations with those teams. I'm hoping our guys really rise up and compete at that level."
Coaching U18
As a coach at the U18 level, Heide says it's as much about balance as teaching. "I think it's important not to push guys into being players that they're not. Everybody we took on our team has something to offer, and they're all unique ballplayers. So I think getting the most out of the different aspects that they each bring is important, and it's more about managing the game as opposed to teaching all the little things at this point."
Difference from year one to two
This being his second year managing the team, Heide says it's a massive difference starting at this point compared to this time last year. "Yeah, last year was a lot of learning and trying to figure out how to manage everybody and what's best for the team and what's best for the players. It's been a lot easier of a transition into it this year where I'm not playing catch-up as much. I can kind of settle into how we can plan for this team moving forward, how to compete, and just back to managing and trying to get the most out of our players and what they uniquely bring to the roster."
Managing emotions
Heide admits that, being a younger manager, he faces challenges similar to the players when it comes to managing the highs and lows that come with the game of baseball. "I think it's important to realize that it's a decently long season, and there's going to be games where you get blown out, and there's going to be games where you blow out other teams. It doesn't necessarily mean you're that good or that bad on that given day. It's hard to manage the emotions, but being calm helps with the players as well, keeping everything calm. Knowing that there's still another game tomorrow or even that day, that we still have to take care of business."
A team of leaders
It's early, but Heide says this group is already incredibly close, something he is thrilled about. "It's awesome," he says with a smile. "They all know what they expect out of themselves and each other. They do a lot of the pushing and motivating each other on their own. So it's really cool to see that. The way that they connect and the way that they push each other, and encourage each other, and work together. It really makes my job easy when it comes to managing the game."
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