Have you ever heard the phrase: the early bird catches the worm? Head Baseball Coach Tony Skole is fortunate to have coached some hungry birds in his career.
Five of his baseball players were drafted last year to play professional baseball. “The work you are willing to do on your own usually separates the good ones from the great ones,” Skole said.
The players that were picked to play pro-ball are: Shane Byrne (Arizona Diamondbacks), Steve Calicutt (San Francisco Giants), Jeremy Hall (Florida Marlins), Stephen Douglas and Chuck Hargis (Cleveland Indians).
These young men learned fast that their individual work habits would be the key to their success.
Shane Byrne was an All-American for the Buccaneers and says when you play baseball for a paycheck there is no one looking over your shoulder. “Pro-ball is different. If you want to loaf you can, but it is not going to help you,” Byrne said.
Senior Jeremy Hall was drafted to the Florida Marlins and has been working out with some of the Buccaneers on campus while waiting for medical clearance to play. “When you go to pro-ball it is all individual motivation,” said Hall. He believes the training the baseball Bucs receive prepares them for the next level.
The discipline that coach Skole instills in his players is a launching pad to life after textbooks and ball-bats. “Coach Skole’s work ethic can help in any field or career after graduation,” Hall said. Byrne agreed, “If you come from coach Skole’s program you have an edge in the game of life,” he said.
Skole says last year’s group of seniors was the team with the most wins in school history.
They beat two ranked teams in Missouri and Tennessee and made the Atlantic-Sun Championship game.
The Baseball Buccaneers hope tradition will help swing this year’s ball club in the right direction. “Our work ethic is passed down to the guys that are currently in our program,” Skole said.
If the baseball squad improves from last year then a conference title may be in the works.

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