Coach Robertson Leads Embattled Bobcats to National Ranks

Few teams have seen as much success as the Frostburg State University Bobcat baseball team. Every year, the Bobcats are in the thick of it. Every year, they compete.

Every year, they win.

Guy Robertson, who became FSU’s head baseball coach in September 2007, has led his team to a winning record in each of his eight seasons. He collected his 200^th win this season in a doubleheader sweep against the St. Mary’s College Seahawks.

In his first seven years as head coach, Robertson tallied seven 20 win seasons, coached three Division III All-Americans, won a Capital Athletic Conference Championship, and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

And this season, it’s back to business as usual.

Starting the season with a 12 game winning streak—all on the road—the Bobcats are once again poised to make a run for the CAC title, which they last won in 2011. Through 30 games, the Bobcats suffered just three losses.

The Bobcats’ first loss came against the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets, then ranked 15^th in the nation. The team’s second loss came against the Marymount University Saints, a conference rival.

After the pair of losses, the Bobcats bounced back with an eight game winning streak, including a doubleheader sweep of Mary Washington, another conference rival.

The Bobcats battle grueling schedules, demanding coursework, and a competitive conference, and they consistently rank among the best teams in the conference.

This year, they rank nationally, placing as high as sixth in the American Baseball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Poll, and eighth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.

Ranked first in the nation are the Salisbury University Sea Gulls (No. 3 in ABCA), the Bobcats’ conference rival from across the state, who have a 16-2 conference record (21-2 overall). Robertson once hailed the Sea Gulls as “the gold standard in this conference.”

“Every time we collide, it’s going to be a dog fight,” he said.

This season, the Bobcats (16-2 conference, 26-3 overall) swept the previously undefeated Sea Gulls in a double header, winning the first game in a 10-0 shutout, and the second in a 8-7 win that went to extra innings.

“This season is off to a great start,” said Nick McElfish, a senior outfielder. “Our starting pitchers have been dominant and we’ve really banged the ball around at the plate thus far.”

Through 29 games, Frostburg’s pitchers have allowed a 3.13 earned run average, second in the conference, and they’ve struck out a conference best 253 batters. The Bobcats are among the CAC leaders in most batting statistics, having scored the most runs (260), the third most hits (314), the most homeruns (32), and the most RBIs (233).

“We had two hiccups, but that’s baseball. We are still in the driver’s seat to reach every goal we set for us as a collective group before the season started,” McElfish added.

This is just another year for the Bobcats, who finished the 2014 season with a 28-13 record and competed in the CAC tournament. The Bobcat baseball program has a winning culture, due in large part to Coach Robertson.

Despite his record, Robertson takes no credit for the program’s successes. Instead, he credits his assistant coaches, his players, and administrators who assist the team.

“It’s very simple,” Robertson said on the secret to his success. “It’s two things: It’s having good players who work hard and want to succeed, and it’s having people around you that are of the same, like-philosophy and belief that you are of, trying to help the guys be as successful as they can be. And that’s assistant coaches, that’s administrators, support staff, and all those kinds of people. All those people are important parts of a successful program.

“By no means is it just me pushing buttons and stuff like that,” Robertson said. “That’s not how it works.”

Troy Dell, FSU’s Athletics Director, also handed praise to Robertson’s assistant coaches, saying, “Part of building a strong program is having people who know your program.”

“Bernie [Stratchko’s] been with us as a graduate assistant for two years and now as an intern. Having him around for three years has been really beneficial,” Dell said.

“[Greg] Beachy came up through the program. He pitched for the program. He knows how Coach Robertson wants things done. He’s kind of matured to the point where he’s a pretty darn good pitching coach for where he’s at in his coaching career.

“Kids believe in [Beachy]. Kids respect what he’s telling them. I think that’s really important when you’re the head coach, and you can walk away from some parts of your program and know that your assistants can handle those pieces,” Dell said.

Robertson also coached Coppin State University’s baseball team from 2002-2006. In that time, he was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, and he led the Division I team to the only 20-win season in the program’s history.

Another reason for the program’s success, Dell says, is Robertson’s ability as a recruiter. When Dell hired Robertson in his third month as FSU’s athletics director, he knew “[Robertson] was very good at selling himself,” a trait that is crucial in the recruiting process. “You have to look at the positives and not dwell on the negatives. He was very positive about what Frostburg had to offer from a baseball standpoint.”

It takes more than recruiting, though, to build a strong program. Robertson’s knack for developing his players is a key to his success, Dell said.

“Once he gets them here, I think he works really hard to be a good role model for them, to hold them accountable, and to give them some room to make some mistakes, but also to try to teach them and help them grow as young men.”

According to his players, the team’s success is due to Robertson’s competitive edge and high standards.

“Playing for Coach Robertson is demanding, yet rewarding,” said McElfish. “He expects you to perform at a certain level and pushes you to maximize your potential.

“He keeps us motivated as a ball club to come out hungry every single day, whether it be practice or a game day,” said McElfish. “That competitive edge is what has allowed us to be successful to start this season.”

Some coaches might ease up after such a successful start to the season, but Robertson only pushes the team harder. The bar is always going higher for the Bobcats.

“Coach is persistent,” said Greg Beachy, who pitched for the Bobcats before Robertson asked him to join the coaching staff. “[He’s] always working to develop his players and make them the best they possibly can be. Coach is hard-working, putting maximum effort into whatever needs to be accomplished.”

“He continues to let us know that the target on our back continues to grow as we receive more national attention and accolades,” said McElfish.

A native of Westminister, Maryland, Robertson grew up during the Baltimore Orioles’ golden years in the 1970s and 1980s. His favorite player was Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken.

“When you grow up in or around Baltimore and the Orioles, you develop a love for Cal Ripken, and I think that’s a guy I grew up idolizing,” Robertson explained. Like Ripken, Robertson played in the middle infield during his four years at Elon College, where he graduated with a degree in sports management in 1999.

Robertson tries to emulate the way Ripken drove himself, and his teammates, to success.

“I think there’s certainly something to be taken from the way he went about his business every day to be as successful as he could be and certainly make those around him better,” Robertson said. “I think there’s certainly some of that in me as far as how I go about my business on a daily basis. It’s solely centered around the guys and trying to help them grow and achieve their goals.”

Despite his success as a coach and his love for the Orioles, Robertson doesn’t see himself coaching in the majors.

“I don’t have any desire to coach in the professionals. I don’t have the qualifications,” he said with a laugh.

Still, he admires the way Major League Baseball coaches manage their teams. “You deal with a lot ego-driven guys in the majors, and you have to be able to manage people, not just the X’s and O’s.” Robertson mentioned that Orioles Manager Buck Showalter and former New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre are great examples of coaches that can manage the players on the roster.

Like Showalter and Torre, Robertson focuses on developing his team and helping his players find success. Beachy says that Robertson helps his players become better men, not just better athletes.

“During my time playing for coach our relationship started to become my personal,” said Beachy, who described Robertson as “a man of character.”

Beachy continued, “He always seemed to care about his players and wanted to help his players become better citizens, not just players.”

To Robertson, helping his players grow academically is just as important as helping them on the diamond.

“It’s difficult,” he said on players balancing classwork with their busy schedule on the road. “It’s trying to make sure guys are communicating with their teachers and making sure we’re constantly aware of what guys are missing and what they aren’t, and trying to do the best that you can to make them miss as little as possible.”

While Robertson said that it’s a challenge for players to maintain good grades, he boasted of their mental fortitude and ability to succeed regardless of the circumstances.

“To be able to succeed as we have, I think, gives you an idea of the mental toughness and the desire to be successful that these guys have,” he said, explaining that the team’s schedule has changed frequently and abruptly due to inclement weather. On several occasions, the Bobcats have had to play a different team than scheduled on just a day’s notice.

On the difficulties of the team’s schedule, Dell said “How do we do that when we’re still getting snow in March and April, and we’re flipping our home games to away games so we can keep playing? It takes a pretty positive person and a pretty focused person.”

Throughout the season, the Bobcats have battled adversity. The key to this, Robertson said, is resilience and self-improvement.

“Too many people spend too much time worrying about what the other team’s gonna try and do,” said Robertson, “and not enough time trying to better themselves and make themselves more well-rounded so we can be able to produce no matter what the situation or who we’re facing.”

Higher expectations come with greater successes. The more he wins, the more he looks to improve. Robertson knows that he has a lot more to accomplish at Frostburg.

“I’m not going to say I’m content here. There’s work to be done here,” he said. “Some goals are facility based,” he said, explaining that the Salisbury University Sea Gulls broke ground on a new athletic facility. This new facility gives Salisbury an edge in the recruiting process.

Getting back to the CAC Championship, of course, is Robertson’s biggest priority.

“[My goal] is to fulfill a promise I made to my assistant coach four years ago that when he came here, he could get a ring. And I haven’t fulfilled that promise yet. That’s goal number one: That’s to win a conference championship.”

 

Pictures credited to FSU Athletics.