Monarchs hire Maki to lead Macomb baseball By Brad D. Bates After getting to know the local high school baseball scene as Wayne State University’s recruiting coordinator and hitting coach, Andrew Maki is taking that experience to Macomb Community College as the new baseball coach. “One of the things that really drew me was the hotbed of talent in Macomb County,” Maki said. “I have a lot of good contacts with a lot of the high school coaches in the area.” Under Maki, the Warriors hit .325 in 2007 and .311 in 2008, and he hopes to bring the same philosophy he used with the Warriors to Macomb. “It’s a very patient approach,” Maki said. “Everyone understands their role is to set the table, then hit aggressively with runners in scoring position.” In four seasons, Maki was part of a Wayne State coaching staff that guided the Warriors to a combined record of 114-94 and saw Adam Kaminski and Anthony Bass become the first Warriors since 1978 to take home All-American honors at the end of the 2008 season. “Hard work and a lot of blood, sweat and tears at Wayne brought those good things to us,” Maki said. “At Macomb, our goals are going to be a little different, but with that same hard work, we’ll achieve them.” Maki is hoping to improve on the Monarchs’ 23-26 finish in 2008. Despite that finish, Maki believes Macomb can compete for a title in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. “Our goals are to compete for the conference and advance to the (National Junior College Athletic Association) World Series — that starts this year,” Maki said. “We brought in 22 players this month, and I suspect we can do those things now.” Maki will be looking for a little added help in his endeavor to put the Monarchs back atop the MCCAA for the first time since 1995 when he hosts an open tryout at the Macomb Sports and Expo center on the South Campus Aug. 27-78. The tryout starts at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27. Interested athletes must be enrolled for fall classes at Macomb and have an athletic physical dated after July 1. “We’ll be looking for specific talents,” Maki said. “We’re looking for guys who swing the bat well, throw well and can run well. We’re going to look for guys who may be a little raw but have talent.” Maki’s opinion that his team can win a league title is bolstered based on his familiarity with the local baseball landscape, as well as his experience within the MCCAA. Maki was an All-League first baseman and pitcher at Henry Ford Community College, where he played from 1997-1998 before transferring to Grand Valley State University. He was also an All-State honoree during his prep career at Wyandotte Mount Carmel High School. Along with Macomb being a good fit for Maki’s expertise in recruiting, he said he jumped at the opportunity to coach the Monarchs because of its support system. “The facilities are second to none,” Maki said. “The whole athletic department, from Athletic Director Margaret Cadieux to Henry Wright, the athletic academic coordinator and basketball coach, there’s a whole group that is committed to success.” You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029. |
