FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With baseball season just one day away, NSUSharks.com sat down with new head coach Greg Brown to discuss his squad, his new position, and the goals he has set for his team. The NSU baseball team kicks off the 2011 season tomorrow at the NSU Baseball Complex against Northwood at 6 p.m.


NSUSharks.com- Coach Brown, with this being your first year at Nova Southeastern, how has the transition been into this department?

Head coach Greg Brown- It has been great! Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel that the department really supports its athletics.

NSUSharks.com- A lot of head coaches, when they first start out, have to fill a staff. You came in here with a staff ready to go. How has the assistant coaching staff that carried over from last year helped you out?

GB- Well you know, Ray Romero and Ryan Romero are in their eleventh year now. They know how the school works and they know all the ins and outs. They are very helpful from the prospective of acclimating me to who to contact and everything. Cliff Terracuso being in his third year now, his transition has been phenomenal. For me to watch how he works the recruiting side of it and how the importance of getting guys on campus, understanding their transcripts, and everything else has been great. On the field, these guys have been fantastic and they have adapted to my system as well as give me the knowledge they have acquired over the years.

NSUSharks.com- Lets go over the team. You have a ton of seniors here in your first year. How much of an advantage is that going into a tough Sunshine State Conference?

GB- As a new head coach, it helps to have season players that have an immediate impact for you. One of the things that I have seen is a lot of leadership out of this group and I think that it helps for the future. When they turnover and they are out of the system, the next group is going to have high expectations to live up to.

NSUSharks.com- There is also a good bit of newcomers to the team, a lot of freshman and a lot of transfer students. Are there any names you could throw out that NSU fans can get excited for?

GB- Yes, I would say Areo Regoli (Jr., Homestead, Fla.) and Andrew Durden (Sr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.) are guys that you need to really watch. Both will be in the outfield and both have middle lineup potential, power, speed. Being that Durden is a two-way player, he brings some excitement because he throws in the low 90’s and he is a strike thrower. He is going to get quality innings for us.

NSUSharks.com- Let’s go over the team position-by-position, starting with the infield.

GB- I think we are sound. I think we are deep. There is versatility throughout with the addition of Ray Navarro (Jr., Miami, Fla.) to compliment Blake Boyd (So., Jupiter, Fla.), Luis Penate (Sr., Miami, Fla.) and Nikko Echevarria (Jr., Abqaib, Saudi Arabia) who plays utility. Then there is the newcomer Carlos Asuaje (Fr., Weston, Fla.), who’s got a chance to be a very special player at this level. Dusty Maggs (Sr., Satellite Beach, Fla.) being the anchor over at first base is huge. It is exciting for me.

NSUSharks.com- What about the catchers?

GB- I think we have a great core. We have three guys, two of them are seniors and one is junior transfer Anthony Angulo (Homestead, Fla.). They all can throw. They are all pretty adapt at calling the game and blocking. I think there is a huge advantage in having that because they are all offensive. So when we shake it all out, one might be the DH and one might be catching. If we need to pinch run for a guy, we have another catcher who can come in and we are not losing much.

NSUSharks.com- How about the outfield?

GB- Our outfield is probably our most deep. We have quality players at all three positions that I think that could start throughout the league. Unfortunately, we can only start three but you start talking about Durden or Regoli, and then you’ve got guys like Alex Marrero (So., Miami, Fla.) and Matt Seese (Sr., Ocala, Fla.) who are right there on the wings. Then, once again, the utility guy, Echevarria, is going to play outfield and infield. I think that this team has such a unity, that they are going to understand their role and they are going to do the best they can to take advantage of their opportunities.

NSUSharks.com- Can you address the starting pitchers on the team?

GB- We have a couple guys that we think are “weekend guys.” I think the strength of our team is built in our bullpen but that being said, we are pretty strong on the front end too. The key for our pitching is going to be guys that can connect the beginning of the game back towards of the bullpen. 

Isaac Hicks (Sr., Ft. Myers) has a history of success here and we are really excited about the way he throws strikes. You’ve got Chris Roman (Sr., Kissimmee, Fla.) coming over from Newberry, a guy who gets a lot of “swing and misses.” We need other guys to step up, like Nick Avila (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Ryan Whelan (Sr., Boca Raton, Fla.), and become the staples. We are still waiting for someone to emerge. Additionally, there is another wave with Sean Tighe (Jr., Hobe Sound, Fla.) and Chris Hamper (Jr., Melbourne, Fla.) who are right there.

It’s funny because here we are getting ready to start, and the starting pitching hasn’t really shaken itself out yet because all of the guys are competing well.

NSUSharks.com- And finally, the bullpen?

GB- I think it is the strength of our team. Getting an All-American back like Sean Albury (Sr., Nassau, Bahamas) and bringing in a guy like Andrew Durden, it creates a little buzz on the back end. We also have guys like Mauricio Rodriguez (Jr., Miami, Fla.) and Torey Ekey (Sr., Merritt Island, Fla.) who get outs. They want the ball, they are bulldogs. I think we have a lot of versatility there too and you’ve got long relief guys like the Vinnie Contaldi (So., Jupiter, Fla.) and guys who bend around like James Martinez (Sr., Hollywood, Fla.). These guys are experienced and they are ready to take it to the next level.

NSUSharks.com- So the schedule starts with Northwood, then we go on to Albany State, and then a non-conference game at Barry. You also have Valdosta State, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Florida Tech. It is a strong start. Can you comment on how the schedule is going to start out and what your expectations for the team are going to be?

GB- I think we are going to be battle tested through the month of February. We are playing a ton of regional opponents. We are playing an Albany State team who won 33 games last year and had a bunch of stolen bases… so they are going to be tough.

Obviously any time we play Barry its going to be a battle. I think our expectation is that we have to go out and play every game. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, we are going to play the game. If we are better at the game that day, we will win. I think it boils down to that. Our team is prepared and I think they are ready to compete. Now the fun starts because we aren’t just playing against ourselves, we are playing against guys in a different uniform.

NSUSharks.com- What are the long term goals for this season?

GB- The long term goal is to compete for a conference championship. Our goal is to make regionals, and working towards that, you have to finish in the top part of this conference. I mean, this conference is a national contender every year. What we are focused on is saying, “Okay, we have to win our league. We have to take care of our regional games, and then we get a chance to go to regionals.” I would fully expect us to compete for our first playoff berth.

The Sharks will begin their season tomorrow at the NSU Baseball Complex against Northwood at 6 p.m.