Coach delivers inspirational speech after falling short of College World Series
Sam Houston State was swept out the NCAA Super Regionals by Florida State this weekend, leaving them one step away from the College World Series. While that would normally make for a moment of disappointment, Sam Houston’s head baseball coach Matt Deggs turned it into a moment of inspiration.
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His speech, from the postgame press conference after the Bearkats lost 19-0 to Florida State, is about how faith and giving people second chances has informed his point of view as a coach. It was clearly heartfelt and even brought one of his players to tears. Deggs is in his third season as Sam Houston’s coach, but references getting fired from a previous job as an assistant coach at Texas A&M.
Matt Deggs closed tonight's press conference with some strong words about this year's team and what this opportunity has meant to him pic.twitter.com/Gp2EDbE3Pe
— BearkatSportsNetwork (@BearkatVid) June 12, 2017
The best part is when Deggs says: “It’s not about wins or losses. It’s about love. It’s about building men, building relationships that will last forever. I got a second chance. This guy is a second-chance guy. This guy is a second-chance guy. This guy is a second-chance guy. We’re about building people up. It’s not mission Omaha. It’s mission build and save lives.”
His message seems to be resonating. A day later, the video of Deggs’ press conference is getting tens of thousands of views on Facebook and thousands of shares on Twitter. It even caught the eye of a few pros — Alex Wilson of the Detroit Tigers, who went to Texas A&M, as well as Seattle Mariners prospect D.J. Peterson and Yankees minor-leaguer Eddy Rodriguez.
People are starting to get it. Coach the human not the baseball player. #moreservantleaders
— Eddy Rodriguez (@EddyRodriguezU) June 12, 2017
Great words from a great man #neverquit
— Alex Wilson (@WillyWilson18) June 12, 2017
This is what I believe in. Sometimes a a second chance is what you need. Trust what you get to know not what you hear.
— D.J. Peterson (@DJPeterson) June 12, 2017
It’s a good reminder: Winning is important, but picking yourself up after you lose might be more important.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
