Nice article. I like our league improving facilities
Skylar Meade ( Troy photo)
TROY, Ala – I stepped through the doors at the renovated Riddle-Pace Field last Tuesday and held the elevator door for a couple. The man greeted me with a warm smile and commented on my D1baseball.com shirt. I complimented how nice the facilities I had seen so far were and how this should be a great night.
Troy was hosting Alabama, which always means a large crowd in this state. More importantly, this was the grand opening for renovations of Riddle-Pace Field, which underwent a $12 million renovation project that overhauled the stadium seating and added two new premium areas, including an RBI club. New coaching offices overlooking the field were added, along with some recruiting spaces that SEC programs would be proud to claim.
The couple stepped out on a lower floor, and I proceeded higher to the press box.
As I toured the facility, we walked by the chancellor’s suite. A couple was sitting there, the same one from the elevator. Little did I know that when I complimented the facility, I was talking to Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr, one of the people responsible for how nice this ballpark had become.
Troy has renovated its stadium into one of the nicest in the Sun Belt
“When you look across this campus, you see the support that we have from Chancellor Hawkins, who has been here 35 years,” said Director of Athletics Brent Jones. “All of our facilities are really nice and baseball really needed to get on par with that.”
The coaches’ offices and recruiting area will undoubtedly connect with recruits. The atmosphere for the midweek game was impressive. And while the opponent certainly contributed to the record attendance of 3,872 fans, the locals are unabashedly behind third-year head coach Skylar Meade’s program.
“It starts with CEO support,” said Jones. “With Chancellor Hawkins, the alignment that we have with the board, with our fans. We have a great tradition. We have great weather.”
Troy has turned those advantages in its favor with facility upgrades that have only improved a quality program that is eager to ascend.
“Baseball is important here at Troy,” said Meade. “There’s certainly a great history and we are trying to put a mark on the national level. That’s been a goal since we started on July 15 of 2021. We really wanted to elevate our profile and have people know what Troy is doing. If you do that, then you can recruit better. If you recruit better then you have better production opportunities on the field and you can parlay that into continued success. That’s the recipe. It isn’t anything revolutionary.”
Troy has invested in winning and with this kind of administrative support from the chancellor through the athletic director to the head coach, this program has a chance to become a perennial power in the Sun Belt. It starts with the commitment to facilities and continues through making good hires who understand how to build winners.
But even the best coaches need facilities to win recruiting battles. Jones explained how this facility upgrade was part of the allure that attracted Meade to accept the position.
“When we went out and recruited Skylar,” said Jones, “part of that was the belief in Skylar and the belief in this program. But also we had to show him renderings. We instantly started after his first year, tearing down the stands and rebuilding.”
Then they had to decide what to do. Where should the focus be?
“You want to make it fit the architectural structure,” said Jones. “The funding came from part of the university. We invest in our programs to help them succeed at the highest levels.”
Jones played college baseball at Oglethorpe University and worked at Ole Miss with Mike Bianco, among other stops, before his current role. He wanted to combine attributes from various venues with Troy to make it his own.
“How can we make it Troy-centric, fit what we do, and really have that wow-factor?” Jones asked.
Every new coach desires that commitment. Meade took over a program that had experienced success. Troy was a Division II power, winning national titles in 1986 and 1987 under head coach Chase Riddle. Then, the Trojans moved to Division I and had some successful seasons under coaches Bobby Pierce and Mark Smartt.
But like the elevator ride, the administrative support only takes you so far. The coaches and players have to take it from there.
Meade came in for the 2022 season and had a solid first season, then participated in the Tuscaloosa Regional last June.
The Trojans are in third place in the Sun Belt standings this season and have won nine of their last 13. They swept Coastal Carolina on the road and took two of three from league-leading Louisiana before falling at Texas State last weekend. There’s a massive home series with James Madison to end the regular season. Like any coach, Meade is excited his team is excelling during the stretch run.
“Across the board, pitching, offense, and defense, we’ve played our best ball over the last 15-17 games,” said Meade. “In baseball you are trying to maximize your opportunity for success because you can’t win every single game.”
Meade, who came across as a more seasoned head coach than his three-year status suggests, has a chance to make consecutive NCAA Regional appearances for the first time since Pierce’s teams went in 2006 and 2007.
Fans are pouring in to watch Troy baseball
There’s little doubt this is a coach with an upward trajectory. I asked Meade why his culture had been thriving in a short time.
“Everyday matters,” said Meade. “Everything we do counts.”
He displays a wristband with those words on it. Everything we do counts.
Meade will do things his way, and the players must conduct themselves in a manner befitting the program.
They play with energy, but Meade quickly described what is and isn’t sanctioned.
“I think we are genuine with what we allow,” said Meade. “We don’t do any nonsense with other teams. Our energy is in-house related. Everything we are doing is about us. It doesn’t mean you don’t have competitive moments with other teams but we are trying to play in a way that excites one another as opposed to sticking it to another team. I don’t think you can do that in the sport of baseball.”
That’s easier said than done in an era where players often look for viral moments or sound clips.
“We are in a big-time look-at-me culture, but I don’t want to be doing things for the wrong reason,” said Meade. “I love getting messages from people in the sport saying, ‘Man, I love watching you guys play.’ That’s my favorite message that I have gotten.”
Meade has worked hard to establish a team-first culture. He deliberates on how he presents that delineation to the team.
“In this sport, the culture leads to winning, not winning leads to culture,” explained Meade. “That can get twisted sometimes. I think our culture allows us to win.”
So, what culture has Meade carefully cultivated?
“Let players have tons of freedom but also understand the seriousness that we are going to prepare,” Meade explained. “The expectation for this program is to prepare like you will be the best team in college baseball.
“We weren’t that last year. LSU was. But we are going to work out in that manner. We are going to try to take care of you in that manner. We are going to nutrition you in that manner. Everything we do, we want to do at that level. We’ll see where we fall at the end of it. But won’t leave any stone unturned.”
Skylar Meade ( Troy photo)
Troy has big dreams, commitment to winning
AT THE BALLPARK Mark Etheridge - May 14, 2024TROY, Ala – I stepped through the doors at the renovated Riddle-Pace Field last Tuesday and held the elevator door for a couple. The man greeted me with a warm smile and commented on my D1baseball.com shirt. I complimented how nice the facilities I had seen so far were and how this should be a great night.
Troy was hosting Alabama, which always means a large crowd in this state. More importantly, this was the grand opening for renovations of Riddle-Pace Field, which underwent a $12 million renovation project that overhauled the stadium seating and added two new premium areas, including an RBI club. New coaching offices overlooking the field were added, along with some recruiting spaces that SEC programs would be proud to claim.
The couple stepped out on a lower floor, and I proceeded higher to the press box.
As I toured the facility, we walked by the chancellor’s suite. A couple was sitting there, the same one from the elevator. Little did I know that when I complimented the facility, I was talking to Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr, one of the people responsible for how nice this ballpark had become.
Troy has renovated its stadium into one of the nicest in the Sun Belt
“When you look across this campus, you see the support that we have from Chancellor Hawkins, who has been here 35 years,” said Director of Athletics Brent Jones. “All of our facilities are really nice and baseball really needed to get on par with that.”
The coaches’ offices and recruiting area will undoubtedly connect with recruits. The atmosphere for the midweek game was impressive. And while the opponent certainly contributed to the record attendance of 3,872 fans, the locals are unabashedly behind third-year head coach Skylar Meade’s program.
“It starts with CEO support,” said Jones. “With Chancellor Hawkins, the alignment that we have with the board, with our fans. We have a great tradition. We have great weather.”
Troy has turned those advantages in its favor with facility upgrades that have only improved a quality program that is eager to ascend.
“Baseball is important here at Troy,” said Meade. “There’s certainly a great history and we are trying to put a mark on the national level. That’s been a goal since we started on July 15 of 2021. We really wanted to elevate our profile and have people know what Troy is doing. If you do that, then you can recruit better. If you recruit better then you have better production opportunities on the field and you can parlay that into continued success. That’s the recipe. It isn’t anything revolutionary.”
Troy has invested in winning and with this kind of administrative support from the chancellor through the athletic director to the head coach, this program has a chance to become a perennial power in the Sun Belt. It starts with the commitment to facilities and continues through making good hires who understand how to build winners.
But even the best coaches need facilities to win recruiting battles. Jones explained how this facility upgrade was part of the allure that attracted Meade to accept the position.
“When we went out and recruited Skylar,” said Jones, “part of that was the belief in Skylar and the belief in this program. But also we had to show him renderings. We instantly started after his first year, tearing down the stands and rebuilding.”
Then they had to decide what to do. Where should the focus be?
“You want to make it fit the architectural structure,” said Jones. “The funding came from part of the university. We invest in our programs to help them succeed at the highest levels.”
Jones played college baseball at Oglethorpe University and worked at Ole Miss with Mike Bianco, among other stops, before his current role. He wanted to combine attributes from various venues with Troy to make it his own.
“How can we make it Troy-centric, fit what we do, and really have that wow-factor?” Jones asked.
Every new coach desires that commitment. Meade took over a program that had experienced success. Troy was a Division II power, winning national titles in 1986 and 1987 under head coach Chase Riddle. Then, the Trojans moved to Division I and had some successful seasons under coaches Bobby Pierce and Mark Smartt.
But like the elevator ride, the administrative support only takes you so far. The coaches and players have to take it from there.
Meade came in for the 2022 season and had a solid first season, then participated in the Tuscaloosa Regional last June.
The Trojans are in third place in the Sun Belt standings this season and have won nine of their last 13. They swept Coastal Carolina on the road and took two of three from league-leading Louisiana before falling at Texas State last weekend. There’s a massive home series with James Madison to end the regular season. Like any coach, Meade is excited his team is excelling during the stretch run.
“Across the board, pitching, offense, and defense, we’ve played our best ball over the last 15-17 games,” said Meade. “In baseball you are trying to maximize your opportunity for success because you can’t win every single game.”
Meade, who came across as a more seasoned head coach than his three-year status suggests, has a chance to make consecutive NCAA Regional appearances for the first time since Pierce’s teams went in 2006 and 2007.
There’s little doubt this is a coach with an upward trajectory. I asked Meade why his culture had been thriving in a short time.
“Everyday matters,” said Meade. “Everything we do counts.”
He displays a wristband with those words on it. Everything we do counts.
Meade will do things his way, and the players must conduct themselves in a manner befitting the program.
They play with energy, but Meade quickly described what is and isn’t sanctioned.
“I think we are genuine with what we allow,” said Meade. “We don’t do any nonsense with other teams. Our energy is in-house related. Everything we are doing is about us. It doesn’t mean you don’t have competitive moments with other teams but we are trying to play in a way that excites one another as opposed to sticking it to another team. I don’t think you can do that in the sport of baseball.”
That’s easier said than done in an era where players often look for viral moments or sound clips.
“We are in a big-time look-at-me culture, but I don’t want to be doing things for the wrong reason,” said Meade. “I love getting messages from people in the sport saying, ‘Man, I love watching you guys play.’ That’s my favorite message that I have gotten.”
Meade has worked hard to establish a team-first culture. He deliberates on how he presents that delineation to the team.
“In this sport, the culture leads to winning, not winning leads to culture,” explained Meade. “That can get twisted sometimes. I think our culture allows us to win.”
So, what culture has Meade carefully cultivated?
“Let players have tons of freedom but also understand the seriousness that we are going to prepare,” Meade explained. “The expectation for this program is to prepare like you will be the best team in college baseball.
“We weren’t that last year. LSU was. But we are going to work out in that manner. We are going to try to take care of you in that manner. We are going to nutrition you in that manner. Everything we do, we want to do at that level. We’ll see where we fall at the end of it. But won’t leave any stone unturned.”
