Effort, energy, and enthusiasm. Those are the three words that the SNU Baseball team talks about within their program.
The new head coach, Chris Moddelmog, brings an impressive twenty-two years of collegiate coaching experience to our baseball program. He started his coaching journey at Murray State University in Kentucky as a graduate assistant from 1994 to 1997 before moving to Belmont University in Tennessee as the assistant coach from 1997 to 2001.
Moddelmog became a head coach at Rend Lake College in Illinois from 2001 to 2003, leading the team to a 30-20 record and a second-place conference finish. Later, Moddelmog moved to Fort Scott Community College (Kan.) from 2006 to 2007, and once more to Ouachita Baptist University from 2009 to 2011, where he was the winningest first-year head coach in program history.
After taking some time away from collegiate coaching, Moddelmog took over as the head coach position at SNU.
“SNU has so much to offer a student-athlete on and off the field. The people behind the scenes, the faculty, staff, and everyone involved make this place special, and we as a staff think we can attract great students and baseball players here to help us build something everyone will be proud of,” Moddelmog explained.
With Moddelmog’s extensive experience, SNU baseball has big changes ahead, brining in 27 new players split between transfers and incoming freshmen.
Starting with a new team, it is very important to start with some goals, Moddelmog expressed, “We are trying to get better every day, and we hope to be playing our best baseball once we get to the conference schedule. Our main goal is to get to the GAC tournament, and once we get there, anything can happen”.
Managing a 50-player roster comes with its own challenges, making the off season is important for team chemistry and development.
Moddelmog explained, “Trying to build this program has been a very big challenge and a lot of fun for our staff. Developing players is a big key as well. We really like to coach our guys hard and help them be the best they can be on the field. Talk is cheap, and you have to be able to compete at a high level on gameday and when the game is on the line. We want guys who love to be in a big situation, and even if they fail, they can’t wait to be in that spot again”.
Establishing that competitive mindset during the fall is important to instill into players as they head into a new season. “At the end of the day, we want to be the team who plays the game every day. If we do these things, good things are ahead for SNU Baseball”, expressed Moddelmog.
SNU is eager to see Moddelmog bring his experience, leadership, and passion for the game to the program as he leads the Crimson Storm in this new year.
Photo by: Ciena Perez