SC4 hires Rich Robinson as its next baseball coach
It's the dawn of a new era for the St. Clair County Community College baseball team.
The Skippers hired Rich Robinson as their next coach earlier this month. He spent the last two years as an assistant under former coach Ryan Kottke, who resigned in June after five seasons to pursue another opportunity.
"I'm really excited to be able to lead the program," said Robinson. "Coach Kottke was a mentor to me and I can't thank him enough. There's a lot we've put in place and built over the last couple years. I think it's really starting to show. We're just super excited to be able to continue that."
"We're going to miss (Kottke)," SC4 athletic director Dale Vos said. "But we're really excited that (Robinson) wants to stay on and that he's willing to move one seat over. He's been a high school head (at South Lyon East) and had some success there. And he's a well-renowned pitching coach throughout all of Southeastern Michigan."
Robinson grew up in California and played baseball at the University of California-Irvine. He's lived in Michigan for more than 20 years.
In addition to coaching at SC4, Robinson is also a national certified pitching coach with Tom House Sports and a graduate student at the University of Mississippi. His studies at Ole Miss include working with the baseball team's pitching and performance lab.
"I get to train and interact with guys from the major league level down to high school and down below that," Robinson said. "It's a lot of fun. And I bring all that training and knowledge to the SC4 program."
The Skippers finished with a 12-24 record last season. But that tally is a bit misleading, as eight of those losses were by a single run.
"We have a lot of returning players that are really talented and excited to come back," Robinson said. "Also, we have a really good crop of recruits coming in. I think that buzz — that energy — is what I'm looking forward to.
"The SC4 (baseball) program has this amazing legacy and history. So to me, it's just an honor to be part of that. I'm really humbled to be able to lead it."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: SC4 hires Rich Robinson as its next baseball coach
