Tallahassee CC baseball coach Bryan Henry using first-year lessons to fuel program's future
Just because Tallahassee Community College baseball fell short of reaching the postseason doesn't mean that the year was a loss.
The Eagles finished 29-18 and had four All-Panhandle Conference selections ― Marco Dinges, Ziggy Thomas, Seth Dudley, and Jesus Vanegas.
In progress, the team learned valuable lessons that can move the program forward under first-year head coach Bryan Henry.
"I'm super proud of this group," Henry said. "Change is always difficult for the sophomore and redshirt guys in the uncertainty of how things could be and them not knowing what was in store. To see the growth of these guys from August ― when we first met, to the last day of the season was very cool and exciting to see.
"Everybody bought in and we established a system."
Losses against conference foe Pensacola State last Sunday eliminated the Eagles from FCSAA Tournament contention.
The NJCAA Division I Panhandle conference is always stacked. That's something that Henry learned quickly as his team began the conference schedule with a 3-5 record and spent a portion of the season in last place.
But those early licks to the Henry-coached team can prove essential entering next season as he will come in with a sense of familiarity.
"They're extremely valuable," Henry said. "Baseball is a game of failure and it's how you respond. It shows what these guys are made of and how they use that failure to learn and get better as baseball players and young men.
"We started to correct the mistakes that we made at the beginning and started to become a pretty good baseball team. They were a completely different team at the end of the year that they were at the beginning.
"That's a testament to their ability to bounce back."
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Tallahassee Community College head coach Bryan Henry enjoying the grind, excited for what's next
There's not a true offseason in sports.
It's time to recruit.
But you have to cover both sides in recruiting in junior college. Henry and his coaching staff must field talent to TCC while advertising graduated players that have goals of playing NCAA baseball.
"The junior college world never ends and there's no rest," Henry said. "We have our sophomores that are trying to move on so not only are we recruiting prospective players, but we're also selling our current players for an opportunity.
"We've signed a pretty good signing class for next year, but in the junior college world, you only get to enjoy them for one year or maybe two. Whereas when I was at FAMU, if we brought in a good class, we got to enjoy those guys for four years.
"It's nonstop, but that's what makes this enjoyable."
Henry enjoyed his first year leading TCC baseball ― the good and the bad.
Therefore, that will fuel his constant improvement as a head coach while on a quest in rekindling the prominence of the program.
"It's definitely a learning experience and a great experience," Henry said. "Just like the guys learned from their failures, so did I ― and the staff as well. There are things that we did this year that we will learn from and make changes. As a coach, you want to just be able to let those guys play and have fun. To do that, it's all about being prepared.
"The first year was one I'll never forget. I'm thankful for the opportunity and excited to see where it goes."
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TCC Baseball: Eagles Bryan Henry thankful for experiences in year one
