Tom Austin has quietly become a legend. His Methodist University baseball field is tucked behind the main campus and far from the highway, so people aren’t aware of the history being made there.
Entering the current season, Austin’s Monarchs had won 1,086 games during his 36-year tenure as their coach. He is a giant in his profession and certainly in NCAA Division III baseball record books.
His teams have had 17 30-win seasons and have never won fewer than 22 games in a season. Methodist has won 21 conferences (Dixie and USA South Atlantic) championships, earned 22 Division III National Tournament berths, and has been to the College World Series six times, finishing as the national runner-up in 1995.
Austin is an 11-time conference Coach of the Year and twice was named the North Carolina College Coach of the Year.
ONC: Tell us about your love of baseball. Was it always your favorite sport?
TA: There was a tug of war with football early. During the recruiting process, a baseball coach talked about the number of injuries sustained while playing football vs. baseball. He made sense. I chose to play baseball. But then coaching football was fun. I was a defensive coordinator. I slowly began to enjoy the approach to coaching baseball more than football. I think the variety of skills required in baseball made it more challenging to me, and the variety kept it interesting.
Is there someone who was a strong influence on you growing up?
My father instilled my work ethic—without a doubt. He was the hardest working man I ever saw. Several high school coaches had profound effects on me from the coaching standpoint. Both of my college coaches were good men and that sealed the deal. I knew I wanted to coach.
Your coaching style—make things happen, don’t beat yourself … How did you choose that way?
My sophomore year in high school, we got beat in the district tournament by a bunt when our pitcher was throwing a perfect game. We led 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out the first batter on a curveball that got caught by our catcher. With a runner on first, the next batter bunted to our third baseman who threw it away. With runners now on second and third, two outs later, they got their only hit of the game and we lost 2-1. I realized the power of the bunt. In junior college, Jay Bergman, my coach, allowed me to run on my own. I set the junior college record in Florida for stolen bases. I broke Mickey Rivers’ record. At least, that is what I was told. Got a nice trophy for it. I still have the trophy. I saw the havoc that running could create and loved the excitement. It also made me begin to study the game more, like looking for a curveball to run on. The running game became cerebral, so I think that is what started my small-ball approach. As a high school coach, we destroyed so many opponents with the bunt and running game that it really excited me. I tried to carry that concept into my college coaching. We also did not hit many three-run homers. Ha!
Is there a coach or major league manager you have patterned yourself after?
What coach does not want to be compared to Tony La Russa? Make the pitching changes at the right time. Choose the correct pinch hitter. Give your players the best chance to win. My two college coaches, Jay Bergman and Boyd Coffie were a great influence on me. They were always so calm and collected. You can’t make good decisions when you are angry.
Is it difficult not to favor a player who always hustles, plays hard, and gets the most out of what he has?
We try to build our program around playing the game the right way. I like a quote from Joe DiMaggio: “Some people may get to see me play only once, so I owe it to them to play hard all the time.” Our players should run hard for 90 feet. They should hustle! The players that play the game the right way are always your favorite.
Although baseball is played by a team, it breaks down to individuals’ ability to perform. So, how do you motivate your teams?
Everyone has a role to play. Pitcher vs. hitter is mano a mano! Man vs. man. But when the ball is hit, many times several players must act in a coordinated fashion to get the out. Sometimes it takes more than one hit to score a run. Our offensive practice revolves around “get ’em on, get ’em over, and get ’em in.” If we score one, they must score two to beat us. Defensively, we try to prevent the big inning.
Is there a big difference in your players now and the ones you had in your early years of coaching?
Yes! I feel the player today is a better hitter, thrower, and catcher. But they are sometimes really lacking in a team-play concept. Travel ball does not demand to advance runners, bunting, hitting behind a runner, taking a pitch. It is about big innings and showcasing talent.
How about you? Is there a big difference in you as a coach then and now?
All my players say I have mellowed. I hope I have continued to learn more about the game. I hope I am a better coach today than I was when I started. I know I am. Experience is a great teacher.
Is it a coach’s responsibility to attempt to help build young people into adults with good character?
I have always felt my job included a charge to help young men grow up. I cannot say I have always been successful but I have tried. We want our players to respect themselves, the game, umpires, opponents, teammates, their coaches, parents, professors, roommates, and anyone they come in contact with. Ultimately, we ask them to do what is right. If they do that, they will have a great four years at MU and a great life.
Do you second-guess yourself? Or, can you honestly leave it all in the dugout when you go home?
Within the game, I second-guess myself all the time. If the play does not work, if the pitch is hit, should I have sent him? Of course, you second-guess. But once the game is over, I try to leave it in the field. My family is not responsible for our play.
What planning do you do in the offseason?
I am an incessant reader. I try to stay on top of the latest training techniques, strategies, and philosophies. I go to the ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) national convention and clinic every year. I try not to miss any sessions. We try to make an improvement to our facility every year. This year has seen the greatest improvements to the program ever. With the help of players’ parents, friends and alumni, we have done great things this year. A new locker room behind the third-base base dugout, a brick wall from the dugout to the dugout with netting, concrete padding for the fans, radiant heaters in our batting cages, new roofing on the cages and cart room. Unbelievable!
Are relationships with players a reward for you?
Yes. There are so many dear friends from teams I have coached. I am still in contact with players from my high school coaching days at Bishop Moore High School in Orlando, Florida. Some ex-MU players have been great friends and have done so much for our program. I love them.
What is so special about baseball?
My wife says that I handle defeats better then I handle change. She might have something there. You know, the game has not changed much since I was born. The players change but not the game. There is beauty in that. I also love the variety of skills needed to put the team together and the skills it takes to play the game. My players’ ages don’t change much, 18-22. They definitely keep me feeling young. What a blessing they are.
As you grow older, is it hard to imagine life without it?
Thad, you’re trying to make me cry. I hope I can stay involved in the game until God calls me home. I hope he lets me be a player, though, instead of a coach. Life has been very good to me. I still have one son playing high school ball, and I love watching him play. I have two other sons who do not play anymore, but I love what they are doing to make this a better world. I have so many people to thank.