The Aberdeen Smittys have a new coach this summer, and he is a very familiar figure.
Josh Steinwandt has taken over the helm of the American Legion baseball program. He is just three years removed from playing for the squad.
He recently graduated from Northern State where he played baseball for the Wolves.
Steinwandt talked about the transition of going from playing to coaching.
“I learned so much and I’m so grateful I got to play on Northern’s baseball team,” Steinwandt said. “I learned so much baseball from just seeing the coaches on Northern’s staff and seeing what the coaches did on the teams we played. The best way for coaches to learn is by seeing what other coaches do. So, I got a good experience watching all the other coaches. It’s a little different going from a player to a coach, but I stay as competitive as coaching as I did when I was playing.”
The Smittys start their season on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Watertown, a squad that just finished runner-up in the Class A High School State Tournament.
“Watertown just got done in the state championship this past weekend, so that’s a big first game,” Steinwandt said. “They’re going to have really good pitching, so we’re going to have to throw a lot of strikes and play good defense.”
The Smittys’ roster isn’t as big as some other teams, as it is made up of 11 players, but Steinwandt isn’t worried about the size of the team.
“The team’s a little smaller than some other teams, but the guys on the roster are going to compete,” he said. “We have a good group of guys on and off the field.”
To prepare for the year, the team practiced this winter at the Aberdeen dome twice a week as well as using its indoor facility. The players also put in a lot of work with a pitching machine.
The Smittys, who have their home opener on Saturday, will spend lot of time on the road this season playing in tournaments in Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities and Omaha, Neb.
“I don’t mind traveling at all. I love traveling,” said Steinwandt. “The best thing about traveling is when you go on the road and get a win, it feels great. The team loves traveling too; it gives all of us more bonding time, so we don’t mind it all.”
Steinwandt and the players are definitely ready to get back on the diamond.
“We can’t wait for the season to start,” Steinwandt said. “Our seasons are about to get going and we’re all super excited.”
