AACC’s Men’s Baseball has a new head coach for the upcoming season.

After what the players described as a “disappointing” season last year, head coach Carl Brooks resigned, and Athletic Director Duane Herr hired a previous volunteer assistant coach, Chris Jenkins, for the baseball team.

“It didn’t go as well as what coach Brooks hoped it did,” Jenkins said about last season. “We had good players; we just ran into some tough games. They did well, but we didn’t reach our full potential.”

Ryan Dinko, the starting first baseman, said the team couldn’t click well together last season.

“The team had great chemistry and we had a lot of talented guys,” Dinko said. “But unfortunately, we just never went through a stretch where we all clicked at once. When we did, we could beat anybody.”

Jenkins said the team’s record will depend on its pitchers.

“We have good pitchers,” Jenkins said. “We have a couple weeks in a row where we have a lot of games. How far our pitchers go each game will dictate how well we’re going to be the next game.”

The players said they have high hopes for the new coach.

“I think coach Chris was the best choice for this school,” Dinko said. “He pointed out things to me during a game that I never thought of myself.”

“He’s a great guy,” Nathaniel Anthony, the starting shortstop and team captain, said. “Very knowledgeable and has a lot of experience. He’s a huge step up from last year.”

Anthony said he hopes to become more of a leader this season.

“I think I need to improve on being a more vocal captain,” Anthony said. “I like to lead by example but being more vocal would be better.”

AACC’s Men’s Baseball season begins Feb. 4 at Florence-Darlington Technical College.
The team ended the 2016 season with a record of 18-29.