Current Section
- 25 Things
- 2010 Winter Edition
- 2010 Spring Edition
- 2010 Summer Edition
- 2010 Fall Edition
- All News
- Andris Dikmanis, DPT
- Announcements
- Baseline Food & Recipes
- Columns
- College Baseball
- College Baseball Camps
- College Planning
- College Summer Leagues
- College Summer Teams
- High School Baseball
- Hitting Columns
- In The Dugout
- Keg Conditioning
- League News
- Life In The Minors
- Little Leagues
- Major League Strength
- Matt Lemanczyk
- Most Read Articles
- One On One
- Running The Bases
- Softball News
- Strength & Conditioning
- Team News
- Torque AP
- Tournaments
- Travel Teams
In The Dugout: Keith Osik
Who is Coach Osik? Osik is a Long Island native, a Shoreham-Wading River graduate and the 1987 recipient of the prestigious Carl Yastremski Award as the Most Outstanding Baseball Player on Long Island. Osik went on to attend Louisiana State, where he became the first college baseball player in over 100 years to play all nine positions in one game. Osik was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 24th round of the 1990 amateur draft and made his official MLB debut on April 5, 1996. Spending just under a decade playing in the Major Leagues, Osik played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. In 2005, Osik transitioned from player to coach, heading back to Long Island, when he was appointed the head coach position at Farmingdale State College. Keith Osik has spent his life playing ball. He is now Head Coach at Farmingdale State College, where he took to the Rams to the 2009 College World Series for the first time in Farmingdale history. BPM got a chance to sit down with Coach Osik to ask him a few questions about his career so far. BPM: With over nine years on four MLB teams you certainly have had incredible playing experience. How has it been turning your playing career into a coaching career? To be quite honest, baseball is all that I have ever known; I have been playing since I was a kid. All of my coaches, Sal Mignano (SWR), Skip Bertman (LSU), Jim Leyland (Ptitsburgh), and Frank Robinson (Washington) have had a hand in my success as both a player and coach. The transition wasn’t difficult, it has truly been rewarding. It is a great feeling being able to give back and to share my experiences. BPM: What’s the best advice you ever received from your coaches while playing ball? All of my coaches expressed the importance on the “right way” to play the game. By that, I mean that you learn to respect the game and players foremost. You realize that you are there to play the game hard, always hustle, and have no excuses. They taught me how to act and play like a baseball player, both on and off the field. I learned that the little things matter. BPM: How about a highlight of your major league career? And your coaching career? The highlight of my Major League career was definitely being able to walk into the club house on a daily basis. In my coaching career, it was being apart of the NY State Regional Championship and then going on to the College World Series. BPM: Leading the Rams to the 2009 Division III College World Series for the first time in Farmingdale history is impressive, congratulations to you and the team. How did it make you feel as a coach? It was an incredible feeling for me and the coaches. At the NY State Regional game, we were blown away by how our players performed. All of the training, sweat and tears seemed to pay off all at once. We couldn’t have been more proud of the team. BPM: Can you give coaches a few tips or tricks you have learned along the way so far? I think the best advice I can give is for coaches to remember how tough the game really is. It is important to make sure your practice time is broken into small groups and that you keep every player involved.
Tag(s): College Teams Home All News In The Dugout
Let’s get the conversation started! Post your comment.