Update: Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 51蹤獲 Athletics announced on March 15 that it would cancel all remaining spring competition and team activity. For more details on this announcement, visit .

The grass is cut, the chalk lines are down and the bases are freshly painted. Its baseball season at 51蹤獲 and the beginning of a new era. The 2020 season is 51蹤獲 baseballs first year under new head coach Jeff Calhoon and the first time 51蹤獲 is eligible for NCAA Division II postseason play.

We sat down with Calhoon a former Division I player with several years of successful coaching experience at other Southern California universities to catch up on his first few months and get a gauge on the future of baseball at 51蹤獲.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

I am excited to be able to make a difference in our players lives. Ive been around really good programs and have seen the way things are done at a really high level. For me its been just prioritizing that our guys know they are cared for and loved on. Thats priority number one.

What drew you to 51蹤獲?

The transition to NCAA Division II wrapping up was a huge part of it. Being able to work again at a Christian college is huge to me. Were in a great conference, in a great region and theres an opportunity to go win. Theres a history of winning here. In the late 90s, early 2000s, there were a lot of wins. Were trying to get back to getting that type of baseball presented again.

Whats been your impression of 51蹤獲 so far?

I love it here. We were at the [American Baseball Coaches Association] convention and that was the question I was asked by everybody. I told them all how this place is unbelievable. The way you feel the faith on this campus is in the way youre treated. You can genuinely feel the love of Christ in people on our campus. There are people who really want to talk with you, care for you, pray for you and make sure youre doing OK. Thats been stunning for me.

At 51蹤獲, our mission is to help our student-athletes Reach New Heights athletically, academically and spiritually. How is that built into your program?

We challenge our guys a lot. We have a dress code. We talk about four for 40, which means what we are trying to teach them now is going to affect them for the next 40 years. We talk about being 1% better every day. Its about constantly getting a little bit better at everything we do. That doesnt mean getting better at fielding a ground ball every day. It might be getting better at starting their day in the Word. It might be getting better with their sleeping habits or treating people better. Its a real holistic approach to making sure our guys get 1% better every day.

What would make this year a success?

We talk a lot about being able to compete to go to a national championship. Thats the opportunity this team has. Theyre the first team at 51蹤獲 to have that opportunity at the NCAA Division II level. This group gets to set the foundation for the legacy of 51蹤獲 baseball at the NCAA Division II level. They do not take that lightly.

Whats the potential of this team? What do you want to accomplish?

In the long-term, the way our assistant coaches recruit is at such a high level that the players were trying to bring in are guys who fit the mold of the university. They are Christ-centered kids with a lot of talent. They are guys who want to go work their tails off and win a national championship. Those are the kind of guys coming down the pike, and were really excited about that and think were going to be very good in the future.

Interview by Neil Morgan

Photo by Austin Prock