Elbin_K_18BS_pt2_DK_3074EElbin_K_18BS_pt2_DK_3074E
Baseball

Fall catch-up Q&A with Coach Elbin

BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech baseball fall season is currently underway as the team prepares for its 2021 spring season. During the next few weeks, the Hokies' coaching staff will reflect on its fourth fall in Blacksburg with a couple of Q&A's. First up is assistant coach Kurt Elbin. Also, in case you missed it, check out his mic'd up session below, which was posted socially on Monday.

Q: So far, what do you see from the team that you like?
KE: "This group has worked harder than any group I've been around in a while so far this fall. All the newcomers have done a great job in terms of how they show up prepared each day. I would like to think it's due to the culture our older position players have set inside the clubhouse but as a whole this is what excites me about the group. All the physical tools and talent in the world are great and all, but I think if the group loves to work they will have a chance to be successful.  

Q: With such a long layoff from live action, what was your biggest concern for the players as they returned to practicing back at Tech?
KE: "The obvious answer is their health and safety. We wanted to make sure their bodies were prepared to handle the fall practices. Outside of that, the biggest concern for me was just the competition level of each guy coming in. A lot of them haven't competed on the field in quite some time so we had a goal as a staff to get these guys in competitive situations right from the start."  

Q: Can you quickly talk about your offseason plans with the players - what you did to keep them in playing shape?
KE: "Most of our position guys went out and played this summer. Some played in 15 games some played in 40. The hardest thing to do early on was to keep them in weight room shape while not having access to gyms or having workout equipment. Some of the guys got creative in making home made gyms made out of sand bags and cement buckets etc. Coach Brian Neal also did a good job communicating with our guys and giving them ways to stay in shape with limited equipment."

Q: Did you take a different approach at the start of the fall that you would have normally?
KE: "To me, it was important to just watch them and gauge where each guy was at. We tried putting in our hitting routines as early as possible but we also wanted to see where each guy's individual strengths and weaknesses were. That allowed us to form the practices in week two and three to fit the groups needs."
 


Q: There will be no exhibitions or scrimmages against outside competition, so how has that changed your approach with the team this fall?
KE: "It really doesn't change much. The NCAA has only allowed Division I teams to play outside fall competitions for two years so it was basically like going back to pre 2018 where you just tried to make the intrasquads and practices as competitive as possible. We have to get creative sometimes in making things competitive but that's the goal with this group....find ways to compete."

Q: Among the newcomers, has anyone surprised you?
KE: "I like the athleticism and strength of all our newcomers. Physically they are ready to play at this level. We have some really intriguing first year guys that will push to play right away. There's a lot of things that will need to play themselves out prior to our first game in the spring but two guys that jump out to being early impact hitters would be Tanner Schobel and TJ Rumfield. However, each one of the new guys bring something to the table that can get them on the field Day 1."  

Q: The team is relying more heavily on the newest technologies available, how are the players embracing that?
KE: "Some guys use it more than others but all of the players enjoy seeing the video side of things that we can produce after intrasquads or practices. It's just a different way to teach these hitters that are more visual learners. Blast, Hitting Rapsodo and Win Reality allow us to give visual feedback to each guy. So instead of solely relying on what a coach sees and having him try to relay that message to the player, we now have a visual or clear picture to go along with that message."