Hollister’s Nick Bakich will help lead Gavilan College’s boys of
summer
Hollister resident Nick Bakich is Gavilan College’s newest
assistant baseball coach. Though he is no stranger to the game
– Bakich has been playing baseball since he was old enough to
hold a bat – this is his first coaching job.
Bakich said he heard about the opening after Gavilan head coach
Neil Andrade, who coached Bakich earlier in his career, called him
up and offered him a job.
Hollister’s Nick Bakich will help lead Gavilan College’s boys of summer
Hollister resident Nick Bakich is Gavilan College’s newest assistant baseball coach. Though he is no stranger to the game – Bakich has been playing baseball since he was old enough to hold a bat – this is his first coaching job.
Bakich said he heard about the opening after Gavilan head coach Neil Andrade, who coached Bakich earlier in his career, called him up and offered him a job.
Bakich played baseball at Gavilan when he was attending classes there three years ago, before he got a baseball scholarship to play baseball for Oklahoma Baptist College.
He played baseball there for two years and came back to California to finish his degree in history. He plans to graduate from San Jose State University in the summer of 2008.
Since Bakich wants to someday coach a team of his own, he needs experience coaching, and when Andrade offered him the job he jumped at the opportunity. He wanted to get that experience under his belt so that when he gets his credential he can work toward getting a team of his own.
“We currently have three to four assistant coaches helping out the team. I work with the infielders and help with hitting as well,” Bakich said.
During his time as a player Bakich handled third base.
Bakich acknowledges there are major differences between playing and coaching.
“As a coach you expect the players to be better than they are because you’ve played, so you know how to look for potential,” Bakich said. “But it’s difficult because you can play [baseball] on emotion, but you can’t as a coach. You need to have an even keel. As a coach you need a better overall picture.”
As a first-year assistant coach Bakich is keeping his expectations for the team reasonable.
“If we finish .500 it will be a step; we’ll be on the right track. I just want to be competitive with the teams at the top of our division and I will be happy,” Bakich said.
He talked about the importance of fall play and what it means for the players. During the fall season the Gavilan team plays under the name South County Bees for liability reasons.
“Fall play gives the guys a better feel for the play. It goes over things and let’s us have a better feel for the teams we’ll play against in the spring.”
Though not all of the teams that participate in fall play are teams that Gavilan will play during the spring, the majority are teams in their division.
Fall training concludes at the end of November and picks up again in early January, so the team still has a little time to rest before they start in full-time.
“During the fall we get what we need put in and hone the skills. It helps us look less sloppy.”
