Tyler Nordgren, an assistant coach for UC San Diego baseball, grew up in Clairemont, a short drive from UCSD’s campus.
The Tritons’ new hitting coach left his position at Cal Baptist in Riverside, which he admitted was tough, but the opportunity to come back to San Diego was too good to pass up.
“Being able to come home was kind of the deciding factor for me and my wife,” Nordgren said.
Nordgren has bounced between different baseball opportunities in recent years. He began his coaching career at his former school, James Madison High, before he returned to his alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene, where he helped with hitting and recruiting.
He had played third base at PLNU.
After that, he spent one year each at LSU and Arizona as director of baseball operations. His journey then led him to Cal Baptist before he decided to come home.
The UC San Diego baseball team huddles up. (Photo by Jae Choi/UC San Diego)When Tritons head coach Eric Newman reached out to gauge Nordgren’s interest in UCSD – which begins its season Friday against Pacific in Stockton – Nordgren had to take a day to consider the offer.
Once the decision was made, Nordgren started to think about how he can best make his mark. In part, he believes that will be through attracting players to La Jolla.
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program,” Nordgren said. “That’s kind of the floor, to have good players and then after that, how good you are depends on the culture and the character of the people in the program. Recruiting is where it starts.”
Newman understood that to be the best at recruiting, you need to have a local presence. That is exactly what Nordgren brings.
“That was a huge factor in the decision,” Newman said. “I’ve known Tyler for quite a while when he was a player at Point Loma. His work ethic is incredible.”
Nordgren has a drive to lift up young baseball players, and he sees Southern California’s attractions as a recruiting tool.
“San Diego has a ton of talented players,” Nordgren said. “It’s good weather, and you’re able to play all day. A lot of people care about baseball here.”
Recruiting could not be more important to Nordgren, Newman and the UC San Diego baseball staff. He mentioned that they are not yet sure whether or not they will need to tap into certain areas of the country to find young talent. He knows that in order to be successful, a good start will always be localized.
“I think the base of recruiting is always where your campus is at,” Nordgren said. “Our area is San Diego and then we build out from there.”
Throughout his post-playing career, Nordgren has realized he can take bits and pieces of information and knowledge from every one of his stops. These bits and pieces compound over time, forming an even stronger foundation.
He didn’t limit his intake of information either. Nordgren pulled from head coaches, as well as assistants.
He learned how to put together a hitting plan and a daily plan while coaching at Madison High. Nordgren sharpened his presentation skills and improved his ability to put thoughts to paper at Point Loma.
Nordgren followed Jay Johnson after he left the head coaching position at Arizona for the same position at LSU. That’s when he noticed how crucial recruiting was, as well as how important it was to treat players well. Also at LSU, he learned from Dan Fitzgerald, who is now the head coach at Kansas, how to remain calm in the moment.
“In the heat of the moment, the players were always going to react off the coaches,” Nordgren said. “His demeanor was always calm, almost like he wasn’t worried about it. Then the players would be less tense and be able to just go and play the game.”
On his final stop before coming to the Tritons, Nordgren learned from longtime at Cal Baptist head coach Gary Adcock how to guide everyone individually, and how much preparation and detail goes into the entire organization.
Newman is aware of the Nordgren’s influences and how they have shaped him along the way. He can’t wait to see the impact that Nordgren will have on the players.
“He’s already getting comfortable and the players are getting comfortable with him,” Newman said. “He’s already making a difference. Yes, there will be a learning curve. I expect it to go pretty quick because of Tyler’s talent.”
Newman knows that even with the learning curve, recruiting will be different for Nordgren this time around and UC San Diego’s academic reputation will play a role.
The head coach called recruiting and development the “two pillars of our program,” and Nordgren seems to share the same mindset. The university itself, ranked No. 29 on US News’ Best National University Rankings, is another draw to come play for the Tritons baseball program.
“It’s such an awesome academic institution,” Nordgren said. “If you come here, the degree is worth its weight in gold.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( San Diego Native Nordgren Brings Recruiting Prowess to Tritons Baseball )
Also on site :
- Over 20 Palestinians, children included, killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza
- Fans Love Lancôme's Juicy Tubes & 2000s Icons Reunion
- Israel to commission pastors as Friends of Zion ambassadors