HAGERSTOWN – Keith Hutzell is a here-and-now kind of guy.
He sees the task at hand, embraces it and looks in two directions to find success – the past and the future.
It’s a formula Hutzell is employing as he tackles his new position at South Hagerstown’s next baseball coach.
“I want to be the first baseball team in school history to win a 4A region title, and I’m not shying away from that goal,” Hutzell said in a South press release.
“My vision statement is to create a winning culture on and off the field by highlighting the strengths of each player, encouraging the development of their weaknesses, and promoting a style of baseball that emphasizes strong defense, smart base running, and relentless pressure on the opposing pitcher; creating a dynamic team culture that values both discipline and intensity.”
Much of that statement is what practically every new coach says when they accept a new job.
Hutzell looks to deliver using what he knows about South’s past, weaving it into his plans while aiming for goal-breaking results in the future.
“When I was growing up playing at North, South Hagerstown always had a tradition of winning programs. I want to get back,” he said. “I’m a full believer that winning starts with believing you can win.
“I think a lot of these kids have experienced losing throughout their time at South. They have probably forgotten 1) How to win and 2) How good it feels to win. And that’s something that’s really important to me is getting the kids to start believing in themselves and believing they can go out there and compete with anybody.”
Ground zero
Hutzell has become the 15th baseball coach in 68 years of baseball at South.
In that time, the Rebels have won two state title – the 1996 Class 2A title under Greg Eversole and the 2003 Class 1A title with Ralph Stottlemyer – and reached the state final in 1995. But the Rebels haven’t threatened to take Maryland’s top prize since reaching the state semifinals in 2008, one of only two other occasions South has reached that level of competition.
Next season, South will move from Class 3A to 4A, competing with the state’s biggest schools.
“Rebels baseball has a great tradition and history of winning baseball. When I was growing up and playing against South it was always a battle,” said Hutzell, a North Hagerstown graduate and former All-County baseball player. “Being the largest school in the county, there is no reason we can’t compete. We have the most kids to pick from. We should have the largest drawing area.
“I kind of told (the players), it’s kind of time for us to be the bullies on the block. We should be the big dogs that everyone is looking to chase. That’s the mentality I want kids to have. Whether that is going to be the reality, that’s to be determined, but that’s the mentality we have to have.”
Following history
If South Hagerstown fans listen to Hutzell, they may harken back to when former Rebel football coach Toby Peer arrived.
Peer, a West Virginia native who played at Shepherd University, returned home and was tasked with jumpstarting South’s football program.
“This is a great opportunity to get closer to family, but also to come in and create a vision and build a program the way I want it done,” Peer said in 2010.
Peer accepted the job of turning around a South program which hadn’t won since 2002. His plan had four cornerstones – Weight room, tracking player development in and out of the classroom, recruiting players within the school and maintaining a loyal staff.
It promoted a firm hand of discipline with a caring touch that allowed the Rebels to thrive.
In his eight seasons, Peer posted at 57-25 record with two league titles and two state playoff berths before resigning to become South’s athletic director.
“Toby was a great example of what can be done at South when you do things the right way and you kind of instill a certain amount of discipline and intensity into these kids. They will respond,” Hutzell said. “Ultimately, to have success like the football program had under coach Peer would be fantastic. It’s not an overnight thing but the attitude and the expectations have to start somewhere. They should start at the top and should start with me and trickle down.”
Setting the table
Hutzell has head start over Peer when comes to setting the baseball program.
He already knows the players.
Hutzell, whose son is a South graduate, is part of Rebels’ basketball program as freshman and JV basketball coach. He’s spent 14 years coaching multiple levels of youth baseball – Little League, PONY, travel, American Legion – including South’s JV team.
In fact, at least one South player has been coached by Hutzell since he was 7.
“One thing I’ve learned coaching at South during basketball once these kids know you believe in them, they’ll do anything for you,” Hutzell said. “They’ll run through a wall. That’s the same with these baseball kids.
“So, it’s important to me for them to understand that we can go out there and win and compete. Like I said, are we going to go out there and win a (Class) 4A state championship this year? No, probably not. But we have to be able to compete and eventually, if we do things the right way, we’ll get there.”
Hutzell has spent the summer working baseball camps and workouts.
“Part of that starts now. They know the intensity that I’m going to bring and they know what the expectations are for them in the classroom and the effort that I expect on the field,” Hutzell said. “They’ll buy into it.
“All these kids, they’re going to have to be good students. They are going to have to good people in the classroom and in the community. That’s a given, so we don’t have to go over those things. They know that’s the expectation.”
Similar to Peer, Hutzell will employ offseason conditioning and weightlifting programs, while building trust, discipline and positive attitudes.
Fully stocked cupboard
South is coming off a 6-15 season, ended by a Class 3A West Region I quarterfinal loss to Oakdale.
That’s past history. The future looks bright to Hutzell.
“Last year, the program only graduated two seniors, so we have a lot of returning players,” he said. “We have some freshmen last year who got a lot of experience and a lot of playing time. It’s going to be a good mix of guys who have been around awhile with a strong senior class and some up-and-coming players who are looking to take innings from those older guys. That’s the perfect mix that we need”
Top returnees are Derrick Kline, who was the top public-school hitter with a .458 average with 12 extra base hits, and catcher Luke Leisinger, who threw out 12 base stealers last season.
Now it’s time to get to work.
“They know the expectations. They’ll buy into it,” Hutzell said. “After that, let’s win some baseball games. And once we start winning baseball games, then we will start seeing more support from the rest of the students at our games and the community that wants to come out and see good baseball.
“Ultimately, that’s what I hope to bring to South. That’s how you build a successful program from the ground up.”
