New Faces, Same Tradition

For the first time in over 28 years Bethany baseball and softball will have new faces leading the way. Last season softball head coach Jan Forsty announced she was retiring at seasons end after 31 years. In July, Cassie Moore was tabbed head coach for the Bison. Earlier this year baseball coach Rick Carver announced that he was leaving Bethany. Two months later, Bethany named Justin Thomas as the new Bison skipper. Replacing two of the winningest coaches at Bethany wouldn't be an easy task but Coach Moore and Coach Thomas have accepted their new roles and look to continue to build on the traditions set from Forsty and Carver and continue the success on and off the field.

Recently I sat down with Coach Moore and Coach Thomas to give Bethanians the opportunity to get to know the both of them in a Q & A session.

Q: What attracted you to Bethany College?
Moore: I love the rural campus and the small community. The people are what make Bethany great, and I was excited to bring my coaching ability to a softball program that had a strong tradition of winning.

Thomas: The first thing that attracted me was the opportunity to coach in the NCAA. The opportunity to rebuild a program again and do it closer to home. I was fortunate enough to take over a 3-31 team and in year three finish 20-20. I wanted to do it again in a new environment closer to family. While in South Carolina, a lot of family and friends did their best to follow our scores and how we were doing as a team us. Now those same people are an hour drive away. I am closer to family and friends and they get the chance to see me do what I love.

Q: What new traditions do you plan to start at Bethany?
Moore: I believe that as a coach, I am a part of a program that is bigger than myself. Since I am taking over a program from a coach who had over 700 wins, I understand that there are long-established traditions, and many of them I would like to continue. For example, it is as simple as continuing the tradition of winning, but there also is a small tradition of honoring the team helmets; helmets are never to rest upside-down or on their sides, and players are to clean their helmets daily. Both winning and the respect of helmets are traditions I want to continue. As to add my own, I would like to start a BC Softball Olympics week, something I hope to start next fall, as well as hosting Christmas dinner at my house, something we did this past year in 2018.

Thomas: On the field, I would like to rebuild a tradition of winning. We want to be competitive each time we take the field. That comes from hard work and preparation both mentally and physically, but it also comes from recruiting. Actively recruiting is something my staff and I will be doing. We have to go find hard working, discipline, high character guys who love the game and want to bring championships to Bethany.

Q: What are the core values of your program?
Moore: First and foremost, hard work comes before success. There are no such things as easy outs or easy games, and I always preach to players to "respect the ball", whether on slow ground balls or slow pitchers or 'weak' teams. Every day, you have to show up. I believe in the transfer of energy. Failure in our game is inevitable, so it's all about how we respond to the failure. I expect my players to take the frustrations of striking out or errors and transfer that energy to practice, in getting better every day. Another core value is positivity. Practice is a learning environment, and I never want my players to be afraid to make a mistake; the fear itself is the first mistake. If anything, I never want mistakes to be in vain, and failure can be a great teacher. That is why I remain positive through slumps because there is something to learn, and I am confident my team will overcome any challenges. To build on that, staying present is very important in our game. If we are beating ourselves up over a mistake in the 2nd inning, we will have a hard time competing in the 7th inning.

Thomas: The core values of a program are ideally similar to those of a person with a good name and good character. Baseball players at Bethany College are here to gain an education and have the experience of being a collegiate athlete. Their responsibility is to make Bethany College a better place and that starts with being a better person. Treat people as you would like to be treated – the golden rule. Help others, be kind, be respectful, work hard, be responsibility, be disciplined.

Q: How do you motivate your players?
Moore: I believe in positive reinforcement, so when a player does well, I am sure to let them know, whether for on-field or off-field achievements. On the flip side of that, if an athlete makes a mistake, I am also quick to let them know, but also show that I will support them on her journey to be a better athlete and person. I am trying to build a culture in which not only coaches but teammates celebrate these accomplishments.

Thomas: The best motivation is self-motivation. Sounds cliché, but it is true. I cannot want this for you, but I'll do everything I can for a young man that wants it for himself. I continue to express to them our goals as a team to motivate them, not only individually, but as a collective unit. The young men that are on this team right now are motivated. They are hungry for success. Especially this senior class. They want it all, and then some. That leadership is so important. There's a lot of things that I do not have to say during a game because seniors are communicating with players. It makes it easier for me to motivate them.

Q: Do you have any mentors that have helped shape you as a head coach?
Moore: My father was a big influence in my life. He was always so positive, but at the same time, he believed in tough love. Most importantly, he believed in the power of responsibility, accountability and failure. My dad always told me that I could do anything I wanted, but my decisions were all mine; so I better be ready for the consequences of those decisions, good or bad. That responsibility made me take my school and athletics very seriously, and I understood that I would be responsible for any poor decisions, but it also showed me that if I work hard, I would eventually be rewarded.

Thomas: All of my coaches played a part in who I am as a coach. From how I make my line up to how I try to create a hard-working, but fun environment. I would have to say that the two that stand out the most is my college coach and the coach worked under before becoming a head coach.
Coach Messer at Slippery Rock University was the coach I played for while in college and he is someone who seems to be mild mannered. During games, regardless to what happened, his demeanor never really changed. Once he questioned our fight and our heart. It wasn't a baseball thing. Baseball is a game of failure and we will fall short some times. Our effort, passion, and heart should ALWAYS be there and at that moment it wasn't.

Coach Chester, currently the head baseball coach at Barton College, was the head baseball coach at Penn State Greater Allegheny when I joined the staff for two seasons (2012-2014). Being on this side of the game opened my eyes to a lot of different things. I learned what goes into writing the line-up, how to plan practice, fundraising, relationships with people through baseball, recruiting, when to make moves in-game and why. I learned the detail it takes at practice to win practice and essentially win games.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a college baseball / softball coach?
Moore: Competing! I love the pressure of having to win, and I love being in those tight-games, and winning! Also, I love seeing the kids get better and grow. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing a kid struggle, and then ultimately overcoming that struggle.

Thomas: My favorite thing is being around the game that I love along with 30 young men and a coaching staff who feel the same way. Ages 18-23 are an important time in a young man's life. Being able to impact that means a lot to me. It's a great responsibility, but I welcome it. I get to coach a sport for a living. It's the sport I loved to play and now I love to coach and give it back to those coming along.

Q: What valuable lessons do you want your players to learn from baseball / softball?
Moore: Responding to failure is a big one, but imbedded in this lesson is controlling the controllable. We can't always control the weather, the other team, or playing time, but we can choose and control our attitude and effort, and thus how we respond to what life (and softball) throws at us. Also, I hope the girls learn the value of living in the moment. The game of softball will eat you up if you are stuck in the past or daydreaming of the future, so it's good to live life pitch-by-pitch and breath-by-breath.

Thomas: I want them to learn that if you can control your emotions and a positive outlook on the game, you will perform better. If you learn to control your emotions and be optimistic more than pessimistic, you may live a happier life. Use the times you have to persevere on the field and translate it to life. There's so many life lessons in the game of baseball that we miss because we are playing the game and I understand it completely. Sometimes you don't see the lessons the game has taught you until you're finished playing. Be a part of group project on your job like you were a part of a team. Give someone encouraging words the same way you would your teammate. Learn to follow instruction from your supervisor like you would your coach.

In just a short time, Coach Moore and Coach Thomas have made an immediate impact on their athletes. Sometimes the success of a team isn't always measured by wins or losses. As both Coach Moore and Coach Thomas have stated, there are many life lessons in sports. They hold their athletes to a higher standard to be better on and off the field. Their athletes have added a few remarks on how Coach Moore and Coach Thomas have impacted them in such a short period of time.

"This year has been a complete 180. We've been working extremely hard. The energy is through the roof. Coach Thomas is passionate about what he does. He personally motivates me by example. He cares about our performance off the field as much as he does on the field," stated sophomore shortstop Kyle Goodwin.

"So far this season has been a great experience and the culture as a team has completely changed for the better. Everyone is pulling for each other. He motivates us as athletes by picking us up when we're discouraged and acknowledging when we are successful," added senior pitcher Ken Ryan.

"The experience has been different, but sometimes change is good. She has worked really hard to get the team where we are now. She has done everything we needed to do to be prepared for our first games coming up in Florida. Coach Moore motivates us as athletes and students on and off the field. She is understanding and wants us to be the best that we can academically," expressed junior infielder Erica Amoroso.