Regardless of the sport, it’s no easy task to inherit a team that’s had two different head coaches over the last two seasons. But in baseball, where there’s a specific effort toward the mental fortitude of a player, Emerson’s squad has been in a jam when it comes to having the right mentality to succeed.
Then came first-year head coach Billy Uberti.
Just a few short months after being hired in early February to a team that finished a combined 14-48 in the last two seasons, some players have noticed the change in the team’s identity.
“Accountability has been a huge point of emphasis, and players have been held to a higher standard on and off the field,” junior infielder Tyler Metcalf said. “We’re being pushed more as players through baseball, but also as better people and students … it’s been a really good culture reform.”
Uberti is Metcalf’s third head coach in his three years of college. He described the current environment of the team as completely different than before.
“There [used to be] a lot of selfish play on the field, and then all of that carries off the field,” Metcalf said. “People didn’t work as hard as they thought they needed because they weren’t getting the leadership from the top that told them … how to be successful at this level.”
Now with Uberti at the helm, Metcalf notices the correct messaging and attitude, and says that progress is being made.
“Everyone is bought into the program now, whereas before I think people were just coasting by,” he said. “Having guys that are selfless, no matter how big or small their role is, creates that complete 180 turnaround we needed.”
Even players who just transferred in, like sophomore pitcher Caleb Cortez from Palomar College, saw the drive that Uberti brought by encouraging growth and not making excuses. Cortez, a former junior college athlete — a league below the NCAA where most players fight to transfer into a higher level — noticed his similar scrappy energy.
“[Uberti] calls it JUCO tough because you have that no excuse mentality,” Cortez said. “You want to work like you’re fighting for every opportunity since you could get cut or benched at any time.”
Despite their 6-23 record this season, Cortez doesn’t feel as though the team is being walked over every time they step onto the diamond.
“We don’t let teams just think ‘oh we get to play against Emerson today’, because we have the mentality that we want to win every game we play,” Cortez said. “We want to be playing for a NEWMAC championship, whereas a year prior it felt like if we lost, we lost.”
The team feels they’ve been driven by the coaching staff to work harder on the field, and there’s a stronger involvement from players to participate in campus activities. Metcalf highlighted organizations like the Emerson Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which hosted events like the intramural basketball tournament, as a space that connects the baseball team to campus life.
For every sport, SAAC runs a “Lions Game,” sending student athletes and fans to show up to the games to support. The organization covers transportation, and even provides food — something important for the baseball team in particular, as they often play games 35 miles away from campus.
“That really helps all of us feel connected to the community, going to all the games together and seeing all of our friends in the usually empty stands,” Metcalf said. “When you’re bought more into the whole baseball thing, the easier it is to buy into Emerson.”
As the Lions approach their final games of the season in a double header against the Salve Regina Seahawks on May 2, Cortez noticed that Uberti has completely bought into Emerson, and has no doubts he will make the program one of the best in the conference.
“[Uberti] has believed in us the entire year and hasn’t made any excuses for himself either when we lose, just because he’s a first-year coach,” Cortez said. “He doesn’t care how long it takes; he wants to win a NEWMAC championship at Emerson, and we all believe it’s possible.”
