Kitch is named leader of the Pirates

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Baseball season may be several months away, but the Tradewater Pirates made an important step to achieving back-to-back KIT League regular season championships last week by hiring head coach Brandon Kitch.

Taking over for last year’s skipper Kurt Elbin, Kitch joins the program with many years of experience. This spring, Kitch will begin his second year as an assistant coach at Faulkner University (Ala.).

Previous to his current job, Kitch spent one season at Vernon College (Texas) and nine years at Oklahoma City University.

Kitch’s resume appears as one of a seasoned veteran, but he still relies on his youth a bit to connect with his teams.

“I would describe myself as a player’s coach,” he said. “I’m 31 years old and I’m not far-removed from where those guys are at. I expect them to be disciplined. I have a couple rules. If they play hard and be professional and be on time, we’re going to be alright.”

Kitch said he applied for the job before Tradewater’s championship season last year and when approached by the team’s board members this fall about the opening, he accepted.

Originally from Oklahoma, Kitch spent his playing days as an outfielder with Oklahoma City and later went on to coach at his alma mater.

In 2004, during Kitch’s tenure at OCU, the team set a NAIA record for most wins in a season by going 73-7, but finished runner-up for the championship.

The next year, the squad captured the title and Kitch said some of his greatest moments and influences came from time spent with that program and helped him develop his own coaching philosophy.

“I worked with one of the – in my personal opinion and probably a lot of others – one of the best coaching staffs in the country as far as baseball goes, at Oklahoma City University,” he said. “Being there for nine years has gotten me where I am today, just letting players play and don’t handcuff them. Just have a relaxed atmosphere, yet make sure they respect the game and are professionals.”

Being from Oklahoma, Kitch said he does not follow one particular team, but rather the men who run the players.

“I like to watch and see how managers handle, just watching it from TV,” he said. “One of my favorite managers is (Los Angeles Dodgers manager) Joe Torre. He’s the epitome of professionalism, how he runs his club, how he disciplines his players. He’s just a very professional man in the baseball world.”

With the college season a couple months away, summer league coaches like Kitch are focusing on filling out their coaching staffs and rosters. Kitch said he hopes to have his assistants identified by Dec. 1.

“I want to have the right guy for me as well as the organization, the right fit,” he said.

As for players, the new Pirate head coach said he has been in contact with players from Oklahoma to Colorado, Kansas to Tennessee, but doesn’t want to leave any 2008 Tradewater players out of the mix.

“I do have a rule, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” Kitch said. “I’m giving every opportunity for guys that were on last year’s team to come back. I think I’ve got six or seven of them, maybe eight.”

With a “let the players play” philosophy, Kitch isn’t afraid to rely on the longball, but said he also recognizes the importance of small ball in a wooden-bat league, especially at a big ballpark like Riverside Park.

Therefore, fans can expect to see Pirate batters attempting to drive the gaps and stretch out hits.

Infield base hits will also be a weapon Kitch plans to use.

“I really do like to drag bunt,” he said. “I would rather drag bunt than sacrifice bunt, especially with some of the guys we’re going to have, we’re going to have some speed.

“That way, we’re allowing ourselves to hit for base hits. So, now instead of a runner at second with one out, we’ll have possible runners on first and second with no outs.”

Although Kitch has not yet met the Tradewater fan base, he said he plans to visit the Dawson Springs area by the new year.

“From looking up on the Internet, it seems to be a very nice area and a good place to play some baseball,” he said. “It’s going to be fun, I’m real excited.”