With warm winter weather and spring just around the corner, many people are getting excited for baseball season, and for Milford Baseball, this year is especially exciting because it has hired a new Head Baseball Coach John Rogatski.
Rogatski has spent the last 5 years as a varsity assistant coach at Livonia Stevenson High school and spent another 5 years as the general manager and head coach of the Blue Knights of Michigan, a summer college baseball team.
Rogatski is also a professional hitting and pitching instructor. Not only has baseball been a huge successor in Rogatski’s career but so has his education and writing skills earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan and also a degree in sports management at Eastern Michigan University.
Since making the transition toMilford, Head Coach John Rogatski has felt right at home. “I feel that I have been able to make a smooth transition into the Mavericks Athletic Department,” he said. “My staff and I have formed a quality relationship with the players that we have coached thus far.”
Senior Brad Howe commented on what coach Rogatski has done to make a strong relationship with his players and what kind of impact he has had on them.
“Coach Rogatski has had a tremendous impact on us,” Howe said, “He has lots of knowledge and his coaching skills are superior.”
Getting to know your players off the field can be quite easy, but getting to know them on the field is a harder challenge for first year head coaches. Not knowing how your players play in game situations can affect coaching strategy.
“The toughest challenge is projecting the player’s performance in game situation,” Rogatski said. “Since I have not coached the players in a game yet, I do not have direct knowledge of how each player will respond to certain events within our games.”
Rogatski said, “The off-season workouts have helped him learn about his players, but he will have a better understanding when the games begin.”
From mid-December, the Milford Varsity baseball staff began off-season workouts, working with both pitchers and hitters to help them improve mechanics before the season. Although some athletes are in other winter sports and can not make the workouts, those who can have had a positive outlook both on off-season practices and other players on the team as well,
Senior Jake Bravo said, “They are pretty good, not many show, but those who do work really hard.”
Finding captains and designated leaders throughout season is the least of Rogatski’s worries. He is looking to accomplish two things this year. “Rogatski said he has completely changed the way equipment and uniforms will be issued, but also wants to change the perception of MHS baseball as a whole. “I want the MHS Baseball Program to be a highly respected program by the school¸ the community and the KLAA. These changes will influence the players as to how they approach the game.”
However the road doesn’t end there for the MHS Baseball program going forward, but there are long-term goals that Rogatski is looking to accomplish.
“Long-term goals in high school athletics must be as fluid as the rosters that pass through the seasons,” he said. “Like all coaches, my goal is to bring a championship caliber program to MHS. Championship Caliber’ does not necessarily mean having to win a state title, but it does mean providing my school and community with a baseball program that we all can be proud of.”
Tryouts for all levels of baseball will be held March 12-14. For more information, students can visit the new baseball website: http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=milfordhsbaseball.
In the meantime, the players are excited for the upcoming season.
“There has been a lot of improvement from a lot of guys,” Senior Brad Howe said, “He has already done great things for the program.”
Bravo agreed and believes Rogatski’s influence will lead to success.
“Coach Rogatski is very confident and his confidence flows into us,” Bravo said. “He’s a good teacher and he knows what he’s doing. He’s turning the program around for the better.”