Burnout. Many of us understand that word, and it impacts us in our day-to-day jobs, our ability to achieve our goals, or how we handle everyday stress. Burnout can be caused by dealing with the unknown, feeling overwhelmed, or taking on multiple burdens at once. It can occur for many in baseball, but it can be seen extensively in the role of volunteer assistant coaches at the college baseball level. As I continue down the journey of sharing the human side of baseball, I hope to shed light on these types of roles that have a tendency to be hidden underneath the shadows.
At the Division I level in college baseball, coaching staffs consist of a head coach, two full-time assistant coaches, and a volunteer assistant coach. Sometimes teams rely on the use of student assistant coaches to expand their coaching staff even further. Usually, former players finishing up their degrees or possibly working on a Master's can fill those roles. For example, former Major League pitcher Tim Hudson returned to his alma mater, Auburn University, to be a volunteer assistant and pitching coach. For those not lucky enough to have the same career as Hudson to help them afford to volunteer, they have to work their way from the ground up as an unpaid volunteer assistant and hope that one day it turns into a full-time paid position.
Insights From the Daily Grind
The daily grind for volunteer assistant coaches can consist of extensive hours at the field or in the office, but their day doesn't end once they leave. I had the opportunity to talk to Ray McIntire, the current Director of Player Development for Major League University and a former volunteer assistant for many years at the college level.
"These guys are working full-time, 40-60 hours per week, and are unpaid. The money they receive comes from camps,” he said. “For me, I had to do lessons a lot on the side, up to 14 a week, so every day I was working around eight or nine in the morning until seven or eight at night."
Often, even these extended hours for additional income outside of their coaching jobs don't help the volunteers live paycheck to paycheck or afford their rent in the areas they live.
ESPN and D1Baseball College Baseball Analyst Mike Rooney said on a recent podcast interview that he was tutoring kids in math on Tuesday nights and that his mom was sending him $60 a month to buy groceries at 30 years old. On top of that, volunteer coaches put in long hours and are grinding it out for the team. It can include structuring daily practice plans, coaching players on different aspects of the game, going through additional data and analytics of opposing teams, and many other roles that come with being a volunteer assistant.
The Impact of Volunteer Coaching
Volunteering as a coach at the college level can be very eye-opening for many individuals.
"You really find out what your Why is when you're doing something for free for close to a decade,” McIntire said. “If you want to move up, you have to be even more hungry."
To handle the grind of becoming a college coach, you have to know your reason for doing it and make sure you are doing it for the proper purpose. Because not only is it tough, but it can make it very difficult to manage your personal and work life.
"The hardest thing for me was the moves and the uncertainty. I moved ten times from the day I left for college in 2009 to getting settled in this apartment after COVID-19 hit,” McIntire said.
That uncertainty is what can cause burnout. Not knowing what will be next or where you might end up living next can cause so much stress and anxiety. You add that onto coaching changes, and the uncertainty of whether you will even have a job from year to year can cause a spiral of emotional distress.
Of course things are not always negative with being a volunteer coach. It can also be a very rewarding endeavor. There can be a shining light at the end of the tunnel, even if it seems like all of these negatives keep piling up.
"Hands-down the most fulfilling part of being a coach is working with athletes. I always say the best four hours of my day were spent out on the field…Those little moments watching your players succeed are always the best,” McIntire said.
He expresses what I am sure many coaches would, that the opportunity to impact young athletes' lives can be one of the most fulfilling events. The chance to help them develop as a player and human beings can be so rewarding. You get the opportunity to help a player take that next step in their development and potentially succeed in life outside of baseball.
Ways to Improve the Volunteer Coaching Experience
Although the volunteer coaching experience may have some rewards under all the negatives, there are still areas for improvement.
"College baseball is still a criminally underfunded sport in the NCAA with 11.7 scholarships (for schools that are fully funded) divided amongst 27 players. On top of that, three paid coaches for 35 guys make it the worst player-to-coach ratio out of all the NCAA sports,” McIntire said.
Many have advocated for including a third paid assistant coach, increasing the total number of paid coaches for baseball to four. As of 2019, the NCAA Division I Council voted to disallow baseball and softball programs by adding additional paid assistant coaches. Fortunately, during the pandemic, the NCAA allowed athletic departments/coaches to fund volunteer assistants temporarily.
Another area for improvement would be changing the rules to allow volunteer assistants to recruit. McIntire said the next logical step for a volunteer is recruiting coordinator. But under current regulations, volunteer assistants are not allowed to recruit. Allowing volunteers to recruit could help them gain the experience they need to get that next paid role. Lastly, McIntire said that dropping the "volunteer" word for the title would be huge. As he mentioned, "these guys are coaches."
"I commend anyone willing to be in that role whether they move up or not. They give their time and energy for very little in return...Here is to all of you guys out there grinding for your schools for free; you make the wheels turn,” McIntire said.
I echo his statement and realize it takes a lot to grind it out, basically unpaid for years. Luckily, many are trying to bring volunteer assistant coaches out of the shadows, like Mike Rooney and his new Fourth Coach Conversations project. He has conversations with these volunteers and provides them the opportunity to share their stories and experiences. Steps like these will hopefully help these volunteers get their names out there and shed light on the grueling journey of volunteer coaches.